Barton K. Mann – Luxuria
Never a fan of bios, Barton K. Mann agreed to write one. But this is the last time…
The last time he did one of these was on a dating website and that turned out to be a disaster. He exaggerated everything about himself, which he found out will only get you so far until you get caught. Well, he can tell you sincerely that he is not 6’6”, he does not own his own dolphin habitat, and he did not win the Costa Rican Intramural Limbo Championship of 2011.
Here are some real facts. Bart was born and raised in the canyons above Beverly Hills, California. One canyon to the right was home to many superstar musicians. His canyon was home to many movie stars, and in the canyon to the left was where Charlie Manson did his thing. Although having written fiction since he was a tadpole, he ended up spending 13 years as a published entertainment journalist. He interviewed actors, actresses, directors, animators, musicians, producers, etc. To actually make money during those years, Bart had day jobs. He spent stretches as a computer graphics artist, photographer, disc jockey, publicist, film editor in the porn industry (a very brief but hilarious addition to his resume), concert producer/emcee, warehouse manager, and technician at a hair transplantation clinic.
After all that, life took a left turn and he spent the next 10 years as primary caregiver to his parents, who have since shuffled off their mortal coils.
Trying to figure out what to do next, he moved to Louisville, Kentucky to live among friends and start work on his first novel.
To learn more about Bart, check out his website at https://bartonkmann.com/
Diane Krause – The Peculiar Mind
Diane uses her life experiences to write short stories. Then she disguises the characters and makes up a setting. Although hidden, there’s a little bit of her in every story.
Diane has strong family roots growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Her heritage includes three centennials. The most notable story here is her piece, “The Abandoned Home: A Story of Retirement Dreams,” published on Amazon and Kobo.
“Battle of the Brawn,” a detective short story, came from her love of Ellery Queen magazine and television dramas. This is published within her writers group anthology, One Story.
“The Peculiar Mind” relied on her employment as an intake worker at Northeast Wisconsin Homeless Shelter. Schizophrenia is a complicated disorder that is difficult to treat. Anyone who’s ever loved someone with this debilitating disease knows firsthand the stigma attached to it. Diane tries to provide hope and comfort to her readers. Her motto is, “Just because someone has a bad disease doesn’t mean they are a bad person. They can have friends.”
Currently, she’s working on a novel about a young man who doesn’t know he has schizophrenia. This book will be a cross between Joanne Greenberg’s I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and The Sixth Sense.
Diane shares her De Pere, Wisconsin home with her husband and two dogs. Diane credits her husband with not only being her best friend but also her biggest supporter. She is quick to point out, “He encourages me.”
To learn more about Diane, check out her website at https://dianekrausewriter.com/
Megan Basinger – Ring Race, Anthology Editor
Megan’s writing career began at age five or six with a run-on story about an anthropomorphic whale named Willy. Ever since then, her fingers haven’t been able to stay away from the keyboard. As an adult, her interest has been in historical fiction with a focus on the human condition, but she’s steadily expanding her horizons into other genres as well. She presently has a solid start on three novels, which she hopes to rekindle in the moments between working, parenting three boys, walking the dog, running, and wondering what her house would look like if she hired a maid.
Megan’s companion passion is editing. She launched her freelance editing business in early 2020 called Fine Fuse Editorial Services and has enjoyed working with debut authors on projects in various genres.
To learn more about Megan’s writing career, check out her website at https://mbdesignweb.wixsite.com/meganbasinger
Krissy Baccaro – In the Shadows
Krissy was born and raised in Upstate New York. Krissy remembers her love of reading as a young child and how she couldn’t get enough of great books such as The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit.
Currently, she teaches fifth grade in Fairport and loves it. She enjoys sharing her love of reading and writing with her students every day. She remembers being in fifth grade herself and reading From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and that really got her hooked on mysteries at a young age.
When she’s not with her family or students you’ll find her hanging out with her hedgehog, reading or writing mystery and suspense stories. Her debut mystery novel, Buried Secrets: Some things should stay hidden was released in May 2020. The sequel to Buried Secrets will follow in early spring of 2021.
To learn more about Krissy, check out her website at https://krissybaccaro.com/
Markus Boch – Moving On
A twenty-one-year-old author from Germany, Markus is currently trying to find his place in the world.
Books have always been a big part of his life. As a child, his mother used to read to him and his little sister every morning. When he grew old enough to read for himself, he continued to read books about fantastical adventures, magical creatures, and talking animals. Back then, he thought that all books were like that, and to this day he is a huge fan of fantasy and especially contemporary fantasy from authors like Derek Landy or Rick Riordan.
To learn more about Markus, check out his website at https://markusboch.com/
Evelyn Puerto – The Wielder of Emerald Light
Evelyn Puerto entered the world around the time of the unveiling of the microchip, the introduction of Japanese cars to the US, and postage stamps that cost four cents. Her Saturday morning friends were Mighty Mouse, Dudley Do-Right, and the Jetsons. Now her best friend is her husband, who supports both of her addictions: writing and chocolate. She’s the author of the award-winning Beyond the Rapids, and her debut novel, Flight of the Spark, was released in 2019.
To learn more about Evelyn, check out her website at https://www.evelynpuerto.com/
Alicya Xanders – Flightless Birds
Alicya Xanders is a passionate writer. She is best known for writing contemporary romance, women’s fiction, and children’s fantasy stories. She also writes poetry in the Urdu language.
Alicya has been a lifelong writer and first began creating worlds and characters at the age of thirteen. Since then, she has never stopped writing. Being in love with writing and reading books is her passion. She also appreciates other writers through her reviews, critiques, and beta reading.
When people experience trauma or severe life stressors, it is not uncommon for their lives to unravel. Alicya is an expert at creating characters who experience trauma and eventually come to healing and find happiness.
When not lost in reading and writing, she is with her son playing volleyball or watching cartoons. She loves spending time with her family. Cooking is another favorite way she shows love to her family.
Alicya feels honored to be part of Active Alumni Writers.
To learn more about Alicya, check out her website at https://www.alicyaxanders.com
Chaz Hamilton – She Never Saw Them Coming
Chaz is British and lives on the Isle of Purbeck, located on the Jurassic south coast of England in the county of Dorset. He hesitates to call himself a writer because it’s a random hobby. He has the attention span of a goldfish and it takes him yonks to read a book, unless he’s made a promise or the writer has him gripped by the throat.
When he was young, his mum was always saying, “You’re telling stories again.” She meant he was lying through his teeth for yet another misdemeanor. Now, he is too honest for his own good, and when he writes, it’s often associated with life experiences or the imagination of things that people think can’t talk.
Maybe they can’t. But in his mind, anything can have feelings and has a story to tell.
To learn more about Chaz, check out his website at https://www.chazhamilton.com/
Looly Paarker – Bill
Looly Paarker was born in the beautiful capital city of Riga, Latvia. Her passion for writing was discovered at a very young age. Paarker started out with writing reviews about her fairy tale books. Throughout her school time and while studying in university, she was deeply passionate about writing poems.
After traveling the south coast of France, then beautiful and mystical Ireland, she decided to put down roots and start her family in Germany. Throughout the years of traveling, writing had taken a back seat, but while pregnant with her first child she re-discovered her forgotten passion. Paarker endeavored to write, illustrate, and publish her own children’s picture books.
After her second pregnancy, Paarker was ready to challenge herself and step away from her comfort zone of pink unicorns and fairies. She decided to join an exciting project along with other writers from the Active Alumni Writers community. With an open mind, Paarker dipped her fingers into the unknown genre and, to her surprise, discovered a new passion for crime fiction.
Fairies, unicorns, daring princesses, and brave knights are not the only part of what the future has in store for Looly Paarker, but mysterious murders and serial killers as well.
To learn more about Paarker, check out her website at loolypaarker.wordpress.com.
J. H. O’Rourke – Paradox
J. H. O’Rourke is a published writer and editor from Nova Scotia, Canada, eh?
She is the author of numerous short stories, many of which have won awards and contests and been published online and in anthologies.
Ms. O’Rourke enjoys devising creepy plot twists that explore the darkness of the human soul and behaviour. Her debut full-length psychological thriller, Mind Crawlers, is due for publication in late 2020 / early 2021.
Ms. O’Rourke is an active member of several writing groups and is an avid reader and critiquer.
To learn more about O’Rourke, check out her website at https://jenhorganorourke.com/
B. O’ree Williams – At Odds, Clarity, Rearview Mirror, Anthology Coordinator
O’ree lives in a small town on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon with his wife, his son, and their cats. By day, he is an IT specialist working in the medical field. All things considered, it’s been a decent living but has never really scratched that creative itch so much. But by night, under the small electric light of his desk lamp, he dons the alter ego of an aspiring novelist and slavishly pounds out prose to be shared with the world.
Like most of his brethren authors, O’ree is a voracious reader, often consuming a book, sometimes two, per week. And like those nameless masses, he has wanted to write for a living for longer than he cares to admit. For the moment, though, he is satisfied with being able to write and share his works with the world.
When asked what his favorite genre is to write in, he says his passion falls somewhere between fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction.
To learn more about O’ree, check out his website at https://bowilliamsbooks.com/
Alejandra Cué – Frozen Heart
Alejandra was born in Mexico, where she’s lived all her life. Her first memories are of her father reading bedtime stories until she and her brother fell sound asleep, and when he couldn’t quite succeed, he’d encourage them to create their own stories. The use of brain power quickly drained them of energy, so she says it was an effective method.
If you want to look for the reason behind her love for stories, that’s the very beginning.
Since then, Alejandra has been creating stories, adventures, characters, and conflicts, all for the fun of it. However, when she discovered the written word held the power of projecting and sharing the stories in her head, she began working and improving those skills . . . and she still is.
To learn more about Alejandra, check out her website at https://alecue.wordpress.com/
Madeline Slovenz – Lost and Found
Madeline was born on the Jersey shore a long time ago and draws on her childhood memories of growing up in the kind of small town where everyone knows your name. She writes realistic fiction for middle schoolers, young adults, and open-minded grown-ups who are never too old to enjoy stories that feature younger protagonists.
As a theater artist, a public school teacher, and performance ethnographer, Madeline has given talks and published essays on a range of topics: ethnographic fieldwork, hip-hop culture, undercover police work, Chinese martial arts, and lion dancing. Her children’s book, Lion Dancer, co-authored with Kate Waters, is a PBS Reading Rainbow selection. Currently, she is writing general fiction for adults and children.
To learn more about Madeline, check out her website at https://madelineslovenz.com/
Carole Wolfe – Getting By, Payback, Pretty Boy
Carole Wolfe started telling stories in the third grade and hasn’t stopped since. While she no longer illustrates her stories with crayon, Carole still uses her words to help readers escape the daily hiccups of life. Her debut novel, My Best Mistake – Tasha’s Story, follows a single mom as she stumbles through one mishap after another.
When Carole isn’t writing, she is a stay-at-home mom to three busy kiddos, a traveling husband, and a dog that thinks she is a cat. Carole enjoys running at a leisurely pace, crocheting baby blankets for others, and drinking wine when she can find the time. She and her family live in Texas.
To learn more about Carole, check out her website at https://www.carolewolfe.com/
J. L. Wilson – Contributing Author
J. L. Wilson lives in North Texas with his wiener dog, Lily, and his chihuahua, Nikki. He shares custody of a delightful young daughter named Quinn. When he’s not taking orders from one of those three, he writes on a number of topics and is published on Medium.com. He’s also had short pieces featured in anthologies compiled by Z Publishing House. His writing journey began in earnest due to a brain hemorrhage, doing so to inform, entertain and reduce. He crafts stories showing the collision of the individual and society, of biography and history.
J. L. Wilson’s alter ego is a that of a dog-loving father of a young daughter. He spends his daytime hours working with students in a broad variety of subjects at a North Texas high school. As a writer, he has been published in both fiction and nonfiction anthologies and incessantly blogs and publishes articles on a variety of subjects on Medium.