Ricky Paszek Bio
Name: Ricky Paszek
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Species: Tiger
Relationship Status: Mated, closed
Occupation: Writer, taxi driver (current job that pays the bills)
Short Description: Ricky is a light, light grey tiger with green stripes. His brown hair goes down just past his shoulders, but he almost always has it tied up in a ponytail. He also has a faint scar running down the middle of his chest; this is from a heart surgery when he was practically a newborn cub. He has blue eyes, paw pads of the same green as his stripes, and light-blue claws. He is 5' 10" and weighs ~175 lbs.
Personality: down-to-earth and easygoing, likes to help out others, but can hide emotions too often, is very independent, and can be stubborn at times
Biography: Ricky isn't a complicated guy when one first meets him (well, it goes the same way with a lot of people); he tries to enjoy life as best he can, does what he can to help out others, and loves his snow leopard boyfriend to pieces. Despite this, writing takes center stage of who he is; it's the first thing people think of when they think of him. While he's only published one novel, The Axeford Accounts, he's been published in several fiction and poetry anthologies. He runs three of his own blogs (personal, poetry, story) whenever he can, both for fun and for posting any unpublished work. He's also dabbled into freelance writing and has written articles for various periodicals, should the opportunity occur.
When he isn't writing, he takes any job he could find. Hey, you need to pay the bills somehow. Currently, he's a taxi driver, ferrying all kinds of people around the city; he usually works second shift, rush hour. It's not the best job, but he does get plenty of opportunities to, quite literally, interact with potential characters for his stories. His past jobs included factory work, restaurant cook, library help desk, and technical writer, one of his first real jobs post-college. Why so many? Let's just say, some jobs you simply can't work your whole life, that and he's a risk-taker. Yes, he could rely on his boyfriend to bring in the big bucks, but this is the 21st century. It's impossible to have only one house member work while the other stays behind to take care of the home nowadays; everyone needs to contribute somehow.
While he does have a B.S. in Biology on top of some formal writing education, his current degree hasn't gotten him far, aside from the tech writer job at a government plant conservation organization. He didn't work there for long; he never felt he fully utilized his writing skills and Biology education. There were a few periods where he wasn't able to help out his boyfriend because of this, but he's willing to take anything for any pay. He has considered going on to graduate school, both for more qualifications for better post-graduate work and for his love of learning everything Biology. With a love for both a science and an artistic craft/communication method, they make him a well-rounded person.
He currently lives with his boyfriend in Madison, WI.