Most of the human population of Morstan lives in walled cities, though very few people know the real reason those walls were built. Stories tell of strange creatures like elves, vampires and shape-shifters, but to most people, these are only stories. Zania Corthinn, an ordinary girl from the city of Ocrisia, is about to find out the truth behind those stories -- and a few things about herself as well. "You'll see many more things you never believed in, before you've been with us very long."
Writer, mother, jewelry artist and snarkhunter extraordinaire.
I have lived all my life in the upper Midwest. I don't know if this has influenced my stories or characters, but it has definitely influenced the settings I use. My characters are likely to be farmers, adventurers or explorers, living in wide-open spaces and often influenced by the land and weather around them.
I grew up in East Grand Forks, MN. My first real taste of writing as work was in high school, where I served for two years as copy editor and one year as editor of the school paper, the Green Crest. My first completed novel, which I am currently rewriting and expanding, was serialized in the school paper during my senior year.
I majored in English at Moorhead State University (now Minnesota State University Moorhead), with an unofficial minor in liberal arts. During my senior year I had a short story, "Galactic Wash," published in the university's student paper, The Advocate.
From 2000 - 2003 I was a contributor and later an editor at the ezine/online writing community Toasted Cheese.
In March 2005, inspired by a friend who had self-published a fantasy novel, I self-published my first novel, Silver and Blood, and a short-story collection, Tellers of Tales. Silver and Blood was the first book in a fantasy series, which continued with River's End (September 2005), The Throne of the Sun (March 2006), Return to Dawn (September 2006) and Dreams of Darkness (March 2007). All of my books were self-published through the online publishing company Lulu. My readership hasn't been large, but it has for the most part loyally followed every installment in the series.
My hobbies include voracious reading, blogging, creating jewelry, squirrel-watching, playing "The Sims" and vicariously stalking a wide variety of celebrities. As the mother of two young children and three aging cats, I aspires to be "mad, bad and dangerous to know," but would settle for the ability to afford part-time maid service. Currently I am probably in need of a haircut and some dark chocolate.
