Shalom aleichem / Xairete / Salvete!
I've been lurking around the fantasy forums for a while and thought I should introduce myself. I'll try to be organized and answer some of the usual questions all in one go...
A friend from church introduced me to Holy Worlds. I've been poking around with growing amazement/amusement/admiration for some time now. I've never joined a forum before and am still slightly lost, but I think this is a good place to learn

Authors that have most influenced my writing: John Milton, John Bunyan, Edmund Spenser, George McDonald, C. S. Lewis, Gerald Morris, and Anne Elisabeth Stengl. Milton, Bunyan, and Spenser each took a secular literary form and transformed it to the glory of God. (Did you know that in the epic Paradise Lost, the character most similar to the usual epic hero is Satan? Talk about questioning what it really means to be a hero!)
Other things I like: reading, writing research papers, learning as many languages as possible, linguistics, genealogy, gardening, younger brothers.
Works in progress: 2 sets/series. One semi-Arthurian series for kids ages 8-14 (because who can ever have enough King Arthur?). First book is about half written.
And one world (the Tolras) that has been expanding slowly for the last 13 years, aimed at the teen or adult reader. I am a compulsive world-builder, so I currently have about 2000 years of history, genealogy, and language development filling up my hard drive. First book of the series is in revision; there are several more in the planning stages; plus some short stories from the same world. Basic storyline of first book: 3 people in their late teens leave home (or are forced to leave for various reasons), and end up responsible for half a continent (the Tolras). Unfortunately, they have few relevant skills... unless you count farming, archery, linguistics, and the ability to get someone to forgive you after you've put frogs in her bed. Again.