The first Saturday of each month belong to Jennifer Wilck. When I was a little girl and couldn’t fall asleep, my mother would tell me to make up a story. Pretty soon, my head was filled with these stories and the characters that populated them. Each character had a specific personality, a list of likes and dislikes, and sometimes, even a specific accent or dialect. Even as an adult, I think about the characters and stories at night before I fall asleep, or in the car on my way to or from one of my daughters’ numerous activities (hey, anything that will drown out their music is a good thing).
One day, I started writing them down (it was either that or checking into the local mental hospital—the computer was way less scary) and five years later, I’ve gotten two book contracts from Whiskey Creek Press. A Heart of Little Faith came out in June; Skin Deep is coming out in November.
In the real world, I’m the mother of two amazing daughters and wife of one of the smartest men I know. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading, traveling and watching TV. In between chauffeuring my daughters to after-school activities that require an Excel spreadsheet to be kept straight, I serve on our Temple Board, train the dog we adopted from a local shelter, and cook dinners that fit the needs of four very different appetites. I also write freelance articles for magazines, newspapers, and edit newsletters.
When all of that gets overwhelming, I retreat to my computer, where I write stories that let me escape from reality. In my made-up world, the heroines are always smart, sassy and independent. The heroes are handsome and strong with just a touch of vulnerability. If I don’t like a character, I can delete him or her; if something doesn’t work, I can rewrite it. It’s very satisfying to be in control of at least one part of my life. My inspiration comes from watching the people around me and fantasizing about how I’d do things differently.
I can be reached at www.jenniferwilck.com.
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The second Saturday of each month belongs to Judy Nickles. She’s a retired teacher who has taken a lifelong hobby of writing and turned it into a new career. She has three books with The Wild Rose Press (Where Is Papa’s Shining Star?, Finding Papa’s Shining Star, The Showboat Affair) and one coming in 2012 (Dancing with Velvet). Champagne Books will release The Face on Miss Fanny’s Wall in 2012. She has also been published in print and online magazines and several anthologies. An avid genealogist for over thirty years, she finds story ideas in courthouses and cemeteries, and enjoys traveling and meeting new people. Her adult children are perplexed that Mom’s adolescent rebellion has come about fifty years late, but she presses on. (Never grow up…Never grow old.) Her home on the web (www.judynickles.com), is aptly titled Someday Is Here.
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The third Saturday of each month belongs to JJ Keller. She’s is a native Hoosier. A dreamer. A writer. A storyteller.
She’s married and has two sons. Traveling to exotic locations is something she can’t do enough of (even if it’s only in her mind) and puttering around in her herbal garden is her one of her favorite pastimes. She enjoys a good story, easy listening music and a fine glass of wine.
Multipublished in urban fantasy, paranormal, romantic suspense and thrillers she loves the genres and is an avid reader.
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The fourth Saturday of the month belongs to Emma Lai. She likes nothing more than a challenge. First, she tackled the male-dominated field of engineering. Next, she expanded her understanding of the world by studying international relations. Finally, her husband dared her to use her experience and knowledge and devote herself to writing. She accepted his challenge and has been writing ever since.
Writing keeps Emma sane. Her characters demand their stories be told and nag her incessantly until she complies. The characters are very insistent about her remaining faithful to their individual adventures. As a result, Emma writes a range of genres and levels of heat. She never knows what the next set of characters will demand!
http://www.emmalaiwrites.com/
