They say the successful writer is the persistent writer.
That’s the only writing advice I’ve actually taken to heart.
What do I do with all the other advice? I file it in the section of my brain reserved for “things I should probably pay attention to but don’t,” like wondering when I last put air in the car tires (never). I usually write stories because there’s a scene playing in my head and I have to find out what happens next. If it sticks with me for more than a few days, I know it’s a keeper.
Awards
“Finger Pointing at the Moon,” Runner Up, Nelson Algren Fiction Awards, presented by the Chicago Tribune (2016)
The Dante Deception, Second Place, Operation: Thriller Contest (2016)
“Porphyria’s Lover,” Finalist – Commended, Plymouth Writers Group International Writing Competition (2015)
Endless Forms Most Beautiful, Judges’ Commendation, Backspace Writers’ Conference Scholarship Contest (2013) – novel later retitled The Red Road
“Integers & Atoms,” Second Place, Dominic J. Bazzanella Literary Awards, Short Fiction (2012)
The Cherbourg Jewels, First Place, Romance Writers of America Kiss of Death Chapter’s Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Category Romantic Suspense (2011)
“A Different Light: Darkness, Danielstown, and Destiny in Elizabeth Bowen’s ‘The Last September,’” Second Place, Dominic J. Bazzanella Literary Awards (2011)
“Giving Bloat the Boot: My Low-Sodium Diet Makeover,” First Prize, Demand Media Studios Writers’ Choice Prize for Non-Fiction (2011)
“Letters,” Second Place, Sacramento News & Review Flash Fiction Contest (2010) Illustration by Jason Crosby
Editor’s Pick Award, Demand Media Studios (2010)
Quality & Quantity Award, Demand Media Studios (2010)
“Last Train from Galway,” Honorable Mention, Diana Lynn Bogart Prize for Fiction, UC Davis (1996)
Short Fiction & Creative Non-Fiction
“And the Devil Said, Wait,” published by Dime Show Review online (2018) and in a print anthology (2019)
“Croatoa,” published in A Rustle of Dark Leaves: Tales from the Shadows of the Forest (2012)
