I've been teaching fiction writer for nearly fifteen years and am in my seventh year teaching with Phoenix College's oft-praised Creative Writing Department. I have also taught for Arizona State University's Virginia G. Piper Creative Writing Center. During this time, I've written twelve novels — a half dozen or so for Harlequin Enterprise that include action/adventure, romantic suspense, and comedy. I've been told I write pager turners and my paranormal romances have routinely hit best seller lists and finaled in national contest. My last novel, THE DRAGON HOUR (Penguin/Putnam), won the coveted PRISM Award for Best Time Travel of the year. My short story, Old Bones was published in the mystery anthology MAP OF MURDER and I have based a screenplay on it that is now in the revision stage. I recently sold a short story to our local Sisters in Crime for inclusion in their Christmas Anthology HOW NOT TO SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS.
I love writing. I love teaching. I am grateful for the privilege to do both. I believe creativity is coaxed from students through an atmosphere of support and encouragement. New writers need form and structure as a roadway to express this creativity, but must be careful not to be a slave it. My aim is to present this structure and provide a venue for mastering it. My personal goal is to inspire students to love writing and leave them excited about their progress in mastering the tools of fiction writing, while not taking themselves too seriously. "We're not writers," I say. "We're re-writers. So don't worry about first drafts. It's the final draft that counts."
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