Photo by Sarah Murray Photography
WHAT I WRITE:
- Dark Fantasy and Post-Apocalyptic Thrillers
- Near-Future Science Fiction
- Speculative and Commercial Fiction
WORK HISTORY:
- 17 years with local school system, the last 11 in the capacity of Public Relations Coordinator, including PR writer, webmaster, and social media facilitator
- Contributor to education column for The Worcester County Times and occasionally The Daily Times (both Gannett newspapers)
- Former Corporate Publications Editor for Perdue Farms (chicken)
- Technical writer and graphic design/printing broker
EDUCATION & NOTABLES:
- BA in Communications from Penn State (Main Campus)
- Graduated with Distinction
- Varsity Swimming
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:
- Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
- Romance Writers of America
- International Women’s Writing Guild
TIDBITS WHICH MIGHT SURPRISE YOU:
- Early childhood (age 2 to 5) lived in Mexico; primary language was Spanish
- Raised in a haunted house (6 years to 18) in West Chester, PA, called Bleecker Hall
- Swimming exchange student to Wuppertal, Germany, and my host Regine is a lifelong friend
- Former Jet Ski racer (standup); ranked #8 in nation (for novice) in 1998
CURRENT HOBBIES:
- Reading, of course!
- Hiking
- Paddle-boarding
WHAT PASSIONS FUEL MY WRITING?
- Pairing myths & legends with science, leaving readers to wonder…are they possible?
- Adventure/survival
- Potential for government corruption (non-partisan!)
- Looking into the near-future and asking “what if”
- The potential for pandemics
- Love or romantic connections
WHAT AM I READING?
- BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE by Maggie Stiefvater
FAVORITES (*TRILOGIES/SERIES):
- THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS* by M. R. Carey
- THE PASSAGE* by Justin Cronin
- A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES* by Sarah J. Maas
- THE RAVEN BOYS* by Maggie Stiefvater
- WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks
- STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
- THE 5TH WAVE* by Rick Yancey
- DRACULA by Bram Stoker
- THE HUNGER GAMES* by Suzanne Collins
- DIVERGENT* by Veronica Roth
- THE STAND by Stephen King
- OUTLANDER* by Diana Gabaldon
- THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins
- TWILIGHT* by Stephenie Meyer
- THE DARWIN ELEVATOR* by Jason M. Hough
- BEIJING RED by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson
FAVORITE MOVIES and TV SERIES:
- Signs (All-time Favorite)
- I Am Legend (Second All-time Favorite)
- Avatar
- Pride & Prejudice (with Keira Knightley & Matthew Macfadyen)
- Jurassic Park
- Kill Bill
- Dawn of the Dead (2004)
- Outlander
- True Blood
- The Last Ship
- Spartacus
- Downton Abbey
- Game of Thrones
- Vampire Diaries
- The Originals
- The Tudors
FAVORITE HEROES (from Film/TV):
- Uma Thurman (Beatrix Kiddo in KILL BILL)
- Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse in TRUE BLOOD)
- Zoe Saldana (Neytiri in AVATAR)
- Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser in OUTLANDER)
- Andy Whitfield and Liam McIntyre (both played Spartacus in SPARTACUS)
- Will Smith (Dr. Robert Neville in I AM LEGEND)
BEST VILLAINS (from Film/TV):
- Chiaki Kuriyama (Gogo Yubari in KILL BILL)
- Kathy Bates (Annie Wilkes in MISERY)
- Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton in GAME OF THRONES)
- Tobias Menzies (Captain Jonathan Randall in OUTLANDER)
- Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon in GAME OF THRONES)
FAVORITE WRITING RESOURCE BOOKS:
- STRUCTURING YOUR NOVEL by K. M. Weiland
- WRITING A KILLER THRILLER by Jodie Renner
- OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL by K. M. Weiland
- UNDERSTANDING SHOW, DON’T TELL by Janice Hardy
- SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder
- PLOT PERFECT by Paula Munier
- GUIDE TO MAGAZINE ARTICLE WRITING by Kerrie Flanagan
FAVORITE AUTHOR RESOURCES:
- The Manuscript Academy (http://manuscriptacademy.com)
- Manuscript Wish List (http://www.manuscriptwishlist.com)
- Writer’s Digest video tutorials (https://tutorials.writersdigest.com)
- Query Tracker (https://querytracker.net)
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