Meet the Finalists

JennaGlatzer

wishes you happiness
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Okay, finalists, game on. :) First, let's get to know you.

Please post below. You may answer as much or as little of the following as you like:

Your real name/pen name

What you generally write

Publication history

What you're working on now

Your favorite writers

Why you write

Your best piece of advice for fellow writers

Career goals

And any personal info you'd like to include (where you're from, how old you are, family, hobbies, day job, pets, etc.).
 

pepperlandgirl

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Your real name/pen name--My real name is Haley Stokes, pen name is Pepper Espinoza.

What you generally write--Um, novel length fiction (erotica, thriller, erotic thrillers, lol), short fiction (mainstream), poetry, screenplays, and non-fiction.

Publication history--my first novel, "New Frontier" will be released April 19 through Liquid Silver Books.

What you're working on now--I have a sequel to "New Frontier" in the works, I just began another WIP that's more Romance than anything, and I'm completing another novel. I'm also in the first stages of writing a play based on S.T. Coleridge and William Wordsworth's relationship; however, I'm focused mostly on completing my degree (graduating in May).

Your favorite writers--In no particular order: Shakespeare, Coleridge, Poe, Hawthorne, Stephen King, Edward Albee, Terry Wolverton, Deena Metzger (among others of course).

Why you write--Because I can, I guess. I've been writing stories since I learned the alphabet, and it's always been a high priority in my life.

Your best piece of advice for fellow writers--STUDY! Read widely and read often. Learn how to accept and even request criticism--even if it seems harsh. Also, practice. I wrote seriously for four years before I even considered submitting anything to a publisher.

Career goals--I'm graduating in May, and I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I planned to go to grad school, but I have received a clean sweep of rejection letters. I would love to work in publishing, and above all, I want to continue to write and sell books. I guess my most concrete goal right now is to find a job that doesn't suck my will to live and that'll pay my bills. Ok, I have one other goal. Selling Mad World. If I never write or publish another thing, that would be fine with me, if I could find a publisher for Mad World.

Personal Info--I'm married and have been for the past four years. I live in So Cal. I have three cats--Willow, Tara, and Gizmo (I think Gizmo's name should be Drusilla). I'm 22, I'm a full time student and a part time writing tutor, and really, the only hobby I have is writing (or playing around online). If I was stranded on a desert island with just one book, I would choose the Riverside Complete Works of William Shakespeare. If I had to recommend just one book, it would be Deena Metzger's Doors: A Fiction For Jazz Horn. Also, as long as I'm posting recommendations, I must mention Wilco and their new, grammay-award winning album A Ghost is Born. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
 

hapsburg

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Your real name/pen name

Justin Josephnek Klör


What you generally write

Horror, Erotica, and sci-fi, poetry and fiction

Publication history

specifics at my site, no novels yet!

What you're working on now

Shopping my first sci-fi novel and starting to outline a childrens novel

Your favorite writers

Kafka, Zamyatin, Pushkin, Gogol, Anne Rice, Poe, Emily Dickenson etc etc

Why you write

Because I'm crazy. I like to try to surprise or scare myself for amusement. Better yet, I like to scare others. Grew up on ghost stories and still love em. One of my greatest moments was making my military buddies tear up with a horror story back in ROTC.

Your best piece of advice for fellow writers

Read. Read everything. Read all the time. Read about writing, read in your genre, read outside your genre, always be reading.

Career goals

To own a house and not worry over finances, and to be recognised by at least one stranger in real life for mycreative work

And any personal info you'd like to include (where you're from, how old you are, family, hobbies, day job, pets, etc.).
26 yo Realtor by day, single seeking cross between Laura Engalls and Elvira Mistress of the Dark for marriage. Fond of speak-easys, opera, the 1920's, and travel. I have a rabbit named "little poopy" but that doesn't mean I won't get in a bar fight. Love Heiniken and Jagermeister. Hmm, what else. Interested in abyssmal marine biology and astro physics, and I'm an incurable Trekkie and not ashamed to admit it. (Next Gen naturally). Oh and Jackie Chan rocks too. I live in Indiana, which is a dreadful and dull place, but plenty haunted at least.
 

BlueTexas

Back from self-exile land.
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Your real name/pen name: Kira Connally

What you generally write: non-fiction ghost stories, horror, fiction. My entry was from my first completed short story.

Publication history: Not very illustrious. One poem, 4 stories, 5 articles

What you're working on now: a scary novel

Your favorite writers: Poe, Hawthorne, Anne Rice, Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, Robert Morgan, Sena Jeter Naslund, Edward Rutherfurd, John Irving

Why you write: A compulsion? Therapy?

Your best piece of advice for fellow writers: Read. Don't be afraid to write the icky, uncomfortable stuff.

Career goals: Succesfully write fiction.

And any personal info you'd like to include (where you're from, how old you are, family, hobbies, day job, pets, etc.).

I'm 27, married, no kids, too many cats. I live in Texas, but I was raised all over the East Coast, mostly New England. I'm an optician and bored as hell with my job. I like to garden and sniff out true ghost stories.

What else is there to say?
 

William Haskins

poet
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Your real name/pen name:

William Haskins

What you generally write:

I’ve dabbled in a little of everything, I guess. I’m partial to poetry, fiction and screenwriting.

Publication history:

Some short fiction in small press and literary mags in the late 80s and 90s. Published some poems in the early 90s, but haven’t submitted any poetry in the past 10 years.

Wrote dialogue for several PC and videogames, including Blair Witch Vol. 1- Rustin Parr (Terminal Reality) Blair Witch Vol. 2- Legend of Coffin Rock (Human Head Studios) Blair Witch Vol. 3- The Elly Kedward Tale (Ritual) and KISS Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child (Third Law Interactive).

Wrote manuals, box copy and promotional copy for several games, and authored two game-related books published by Mars Publishing.

While not technically “publication”, I also served as story supervisor and co-producer on a feature-length documentary, Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock.

What you're working on now:

Aside from my ulcer, finishing up a screenplay, taking on freelance work every chance I get and trying to come up with a poem here and there. Preparing to take my next script from outline to first draft.

Your favorite writers:

George Orwell, Henry Miller, JD Salinger, Arthur Rimbaud, Dylan Thomas, Hunter Thompson, Sylvia Plath, William S. Burroughs, Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, Mark Twain, Jane Austen… tip of the iceberg.

Why you write:

The voices in my head tell me to? It’s the only thing I ever wanted to do, to be honest.

Your best piece of advice for fellow writers:

Hell, I don’t know. I’m just fumbling my way through life like everybody else.

Career goals:

To have one.

And any personal info you'd like to include...Where you're from:

Austin, by way of Louisiana

How old you are:

Old enough to know better (39).

Family:

Married 17 years. 14 year-old daughter and six year old son.

Hobbies:

Making up new religions, performing root canals at parties, pretending reality is not actually happening.

Day job:

Writing.

Pets:

Bassett hound named Lester, gray cat named Phantom.

Etc.:

I like pie.
 

trumancoyote

My Name is Sweet Thing
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Your real name/pen name:

My real name is Zach, but I'm not too fond of my last name: Overline. So if I ever get published, I'll probably write under a pen name.

What you generally write:

I like to write literary fiction -- not too good at any specific genre.

Publication history:

I once got a refusal letter from the NYT. That's the extent of my literary career thus far. Hehehe.

What you're working on now:

Trying to work up the courage to finish Housefly.

Your favorite writers:

In no particular order: Toni Morrison, Nabokov, Amy Tan, Nani Power, Truman Capote, Dorothy L Sayers, Zora Neale Hurston, JK Rowling ( :D ), Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Maya Angelou, Arthur Golden, CS Lewis... the list goes on.

Why you write:

I just... need to, I guess. I won't die happy unless I do.

Family:

Mum, Dad, Little and Older Brother, and a slew of step- and half-siblings (my parents have collectively been divorced a frightening amount of times)

Hobbies:

Reading, writing, eating, learning, Japanese, Chinese, Hoodoo, eating, smoking, eating cigarettes, saying dumb things, et al.

Career Goals:

God, I'd love to write. And be comfortable financially in doing so. I hope to have finished a novel by time I'm 25: but I'm lazy and easily depressed, so I doubt I will.
 
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jdkiggins

Troubled-Talks with animals.
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I sure hope this isn’t part of the contest. I’m shaking. Is there a word count on this? :) Just kidding.

Before I tell you about myself, I must tell Jenna, the judges, fellow writers, members of AW, and all visiting guests I am truly honored to be part of the top eleven finalists. Thank you to each and every one of you who took many hours out of your days to come to a final decision. I am blessed to be part of this community.

Your real name/pen name—My real name is Joanne Kiggins; retaken my maiden name, so I’ve come full circle. :) I have written under the names, Joanne Markle and Joanne Stanko, which I’d like to say are pseudonyms but are former married names. (Just more crossroads in life. :) ) Pseudonyms are JD Marks, A. Sullivan, and, BA Devol. (catchy huh!) LOL Please don’t bother to google these names, they were used in the 70’s and 80’s before google-time.

What you generally write—The reason for so many different names. I write in tangents; a bit of everything from nonfiction article writing, interviews, essays, horror, thriller, suspense, romance, and I have dabbled in poetry and humor. My love is horror/thriller.

Publication history—I’ve
published more than 2,500 articles, stories, and essays, which have appeared in newspapers and magazines such as: The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Cleveland Press, The Maple Heights Press, The Bedford Times Register, The Envoy, The Beaver County Times, Writer's Digest, and ByLine Magazine.

I helped write, edit, and publish two nonfiction regional publications, including such titles as Who's Who in the Bedford and Maple Heights Area (Record Publishing), and a company history book, Taylor Chair: Seven Generations (Bedford Publishing).

I can’t leave out that I write a monthly freelance column for AbsoluteWrite.com. Jenna was so sweet to accept my first essay Last Autumn Rose after a long hiatus. She inspired me to keep going.


What you're working on now—Several things. I am working on my current horror/thriller, which I entered in the Idol contest. I’m also editing a co-authored romance, trying to get back into writing the sequel to it, and I’m editing my horror book Roadkill, which has been sitting far too long.

Your favorite writers—I’m Stephen King’s number one fan, though I’m not quite as demented as Kathy Bates. :) Dean Koontz, V.C. Andrews, P.D. James, Poe, Patricia Cornwell, John Grisham, Nicholas Evans, Nicholas Sparks, Shakespeare, and Emerson are just a few of my other favorite authors. I know shut up!

Why you write—I write because it allows me venture into worlds scarier than my own, and because as a child it was the only way I could convince anyone to listen. :)

Your best piece of advice for fellow writers—This has always been my favorite question. My advice to any writer is to write every day. For those just stepping into the world of writing, begin writing what you know and branch out to new experiences. To all writers, never give up, keep writing and remember that perseverance is to persist in spite of difficulties.

Career goals—I’ve had a wonderful career to date. My main objective is to see my five completed manuscripts published while I’m still around to enjoy the smell of a newly printed book.

And any personal info you'd like to include (where you're from, how old you are, family, hobbies, day job, pets, etc.).—I am an almost 53-year-old widow living in a secluded little Borough in Pennsylvania with my loudly snoring Maltese.
After an eleven-year hiatus in my writing career, following a stroke, I finally began to write again. When I’m not writing, I take care of my almost 82-year-old mother, who has the onset of Alzheimer’s, and in my spare time I read everything I can get my hands on, and I still present workshops, speak at writers’ groups, and try to get local writers together for a relaxing discussion about writing and a few cups of coffee.

Best of luck to everyone.
 
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rhymegirl

It's a New Year!
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Your real name/pen name:

Kathryne Lee Tirrell

What you generally write:

Poetry, greeting cards, personal essays, articles, songs, children's stories, young adult and adult fiction. I'm fascinated by words and try to choose the medium that works best to express my ideas.

Publication history:

Essays in The Providence Journal, feature stories in The East Providence Post, inspirational quotes and true-life story in Woman's World, children's story called, "Maxwell Mouse, the Powerhouse" in Humpty Dumpty's Magazine, and a plethora of greeting card sentiments sold to Abbey Press, Gibson Greetings, Paramount Cards, Gallant Greetings, Renaissance Greetings and many other companies.

What you're working on now:

An article for Writer's Digest, verses for Renaissance Greetings, and a certain writing challenge for a certain writing competition.

Your favorite writers:

Anna Quindlen, Stephen King, Jeffery Deaver, Thomas Harris, Judy Blume and many more I can't think of right now.

Why you write:

Writing helps me make sense of the world.

Your best piece of advice for fellow writers:

I had some very good poetry and creative writing teachers in college. Somehow they were able to convey the following to me:
Use all your senses when you write. Let the reader see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, feel it. (I think that's good advice.)

Career goals:

I started out with greeting cards, moved into newspaper writing, and now I'm writing articles. I have a completed, unpublished children's picture book and young adult novel, and of course a WIP that needs to get finished. I also love songwriting; haven't seen my collaborator in quite a while. We wrote two songs together. The music biz is tough to break into.

And any personal info you'd like to include (where you're from, how old you are, family, hobbies, day job, pets, etc.).

I live in Rhode Island with my loving, supportive husband and three inspiring and terrific kids. I am very fortunate to call freelance writing my day job at this moment in time. But I have done office work all along the way to make ends meet, and any belated writing pay check will send me right back to the office!
 

Rhush

Slave to the metal
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Well, my pseudonym name is Becky J. Rhush.

I have written a fantasy novel about Amazons titled A Chase Of Secrets. I am also working on a horror screenplay, several short stories, and plan to some day write for a TV show like Carnivale or X-files. I dig suspence and even dabble in romance.

One of my horror short stories have been published in The Lighting Journal.

I'm working on the 2nd book of my Amazon trilogy, Signs Of The Rising, as well as my horror screenplay and short stories.

I mostly enjoy reading non-fiction. I like true crime, serial killers, forensics, and anything about conspiracy theory. Atlantis, UFO's, Area 51, secret governments, ghosts, demons, aliens... all that good stuff. Also I love history. Amazons. Greeks. Romans. Egyptions. The biblical periods.

I've always written since I was a little kid. I was an only child for 11 yrs... my imagination was always working overtime just to keep me entertained in my room.

I'm learning quickly that my advice is just refuse to give up. Getting an agent, getting published, getting noticed at all. It's HARD. Oh, and you WILL be rejected. Just get comfortable with that idea.

Career goals, as I kind of mentioned earlier... I would love to get a book deal for my trilogy. I plan to write the scariest, yet smart, horror movies ever attempted. I want warnings for preganant women and people with bad hearts on my movies! I would love to get good enough to master the creep factor, rather then just "blood and guts" everyone to death! And I would like to write for a TV show that has a supernatural or conspiracy theory feel.

About me? I'm 29. I read water meters for the city (the glamour and popularity of it all). I have a severly overweight cat named Pete, but we call him Petey Pie. A fish named Nephalim, which means half man half angel...in which he is neither. A dinky dog named Iffy and a super annoying dog named Cricket. I live in Borger, a town at the very top of TX, and yet it is referred to as west Texas. No one here knows why and I've yet to get a clear answer.
 
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firehorse

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Sarah Kirkham Chauncey

I call myself a ‘word whore,’ because I’ll write whatever pays the rent. In the past, this has ranged from ghostwriting for a supermodel and a major pop diva to writing a column about sex-related news – all three simultaneously. I’ve been an entertainment columnist twice and written dozens of celebrity profiles as well as how-to articles for music, audio and lighting trade magazines. I’ve also written both long- and short-form television – "rockumentaries," promos, interstitials and a single sitcom spec. I was a theatrical stage manager for several years, so I'm also a theatre geek. Currently I’m a part-time film critic for Hollywood Entertainment and Reel.com, and I pick up freelance work wherever possible.

My passion is writing offbeat memoir, as you might have noticed from my initial entry (#53). My primary project is a memoir about accompanying my 95-year-old father, known to some people as "that SAT guy," on a senior citizens’ cruise through Southeast Asia and the Middle East when I was 33. I have a novel-in-progress about two motherless sisters that’s been on the back burner for a few years; it’s painful to write, and it’s the most literary work I’ve ever attempted. Two other full-length WIPs are both set behind the scenes in the worlds of music and television, respectively. I’m constantly torn between writing to my strengths and stretching beyond my comfort zone, so I do a little of each.

I write because it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do (aside from a brief aspiring-astronaut phase when I was three), and I’ve never doubted it’s what I’m meant to do.

I love different aspects of different authors’ work: Marilynne Robinson’s metaphors, Grace Paley’s dialogue, Kazuo Ishiguro’s language of class, Jamaica Kincaid’s use of language itself as a metaphor, Toni Morrison’s use of entire novels as metaphor, Ron Hansen’s sparseness of language (Specifically Mariette in Ecstasy). My favourite classic author is Hemingway; my favourite contemporary journalist is Jon Krakauer. I often listen to singer-songwriters like Jann Arden, Bob Kemmis and David Wilcox, because I’m amazed by their ability to tell a full story in such a short time.

As for advice, I pinned a Post-it to one of three bulletin boards in my office; it says: “Go deep!” By that, I mean expose parts of yourself – myself – that are intimate and unique, because guaranteed, those are the things readers will relate to the most.

My next-step goal is to break into major-market magazines. Though my primary experience is in entertainment, I'm also particularly interested in mental health issues.

My long-term dream is to live on horse farm in the mountains (preferably a forest), near a large body of water, with a couple of dogs and cats and, if I find the right person, a partner. If not, a collective with a few close artist friends (and the occasional booty call) will do. I would love to be able to just write – books and essays – and be outdoors as much as possible.

My nickname, Firehorse, comes from Chinese astrology for the year I was born. Baby girls born in the year of the Fire Horse – every 60 years – were traditionally killed because they were considered too strong, too smart, too willful and therefore unmarriageable. Except for the unmarriageable part, I love that description.

I include my middle name not to be pretentious ;), but because there are a couple of other writers (and a model, apparently!) with the same name.
 

DJP

pounding away at the piano..
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Wow, judges and Jenna, thank you so much for this opportunity. Choosing from all those wonderful entries couldn't have been easy. Let's see... a little bit about me:
Your real name/pen name
Darla Paskell
What you generally write
Children's fiction and nonfiction, young adult short stories
Publication history
I will have my first piece published in Listen Magazine this November, and I've done a little writing for www.frazzledfamilies.com (great people there, too).
What you're working on now
I was working on something for my local writing group, but now I think I'd better concentrate on something else.;)
Your favorite writers
I read a huge variety of stuff. Dr. Seuss, Robert Munsch, JK Rowling, Diana Gabaldon, Jean M. Aul, Dean Koontz, Nicholas Sparks, Danielle Steele, and more and more. (Sorry for any bad spelling; I'm terrible with names and it's late:sleepy: )
Why you write
I love it, plain and simple.
Your best piece of advice for fellow writers
Listen to the advice of pros, but write what's in your heart.
Career goals
To go into a big chain bookstore and pull one of my children's books off the shelf.
And any personal info you'd like to include (where you're from, how old you are, family, hobbies, day job, pets, etc.).
I'm from a town of 2500 people in central Saskatchewan, and the closest town to us is over 60 miles away. I'm a 27 year old stay at home mom, our girls are 2 and 4. My loving husband and I have been married for 6 years. I love all kinds of crafty things, like scrapbooking, knitting, cross-stitching and more. I'm working towards becoming a piano teacher, but feel extremely blessed to be home with my kids for now. Oh yea, and we have a cat named Spinner.:D
 
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