About

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. My dad was a Science Fiction fanatic, and as a kid, I read Phillip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Issac Asimov, Theodore Sturgeon, Michael Moorcock, Stephen King, Frank Herbert, Phillip Jose Farmer, Ursula K. Le Guin, Margaret Atwood, Arthur C. Clark, Alfred Bester, and more PKD.

After a stint in acting school, where the class I loved most was the History of Plays, I decided on writing and took a course in Science Fiction at Northwestern University with Professor Frank McConnell, who was charming and mercurial and made us all watch Zardoz. Needless to say, I was hooked.

Then, I entered the Story Workshop Program at Columbia College Chicago. The program was demanding, intensely creative, and filled with people just as obsessed with storytelling as me. I interned with Michael Stein at his two funky little magazines, Fantastic Films Magazine and Video Action, where I interviewed William Shatner and wrote reviews for films like Star Wars and The Heavy Metal Movie. I proofread and pasted copy and pulled all-nighters pasting page numbers on boards to be photographed and printed. (Yes, kids. That’s how it was done back then)

I graduated with a and dance (strangely similar disciplines since they both involve mass, time-space, and gravity.) Like every writing graduate, I walked into the world armed with a lot of theory, a little technique, and not much life experience. I got a job horse carriage driving in Chicago for a summer and made enough money to travel through Europe. I lived in London for seven years, squatted, went to punk clubs, worked as a bartender and a dancer, then as an editor and publicist at Titan Books. The office was in a basement on Denmark Street across from St. Giles Church. There I worked on the UK reprints of Modesty Blaise  (changing Aussie phrases by hand on speech bubbles), Judge Dredd, Halo Jones, Watchmen, and the UK Star Trek novels. I also worked with publicist/poet Igor Goldkind (who coined the term “Graphic Novel”), promoting comic writers and artists. I wrote press releases and assisted with launches such as Watchmen, UK and Love and Rockets.

And if you think you’re paranoid about your grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills now? Try working in England with a nation raised on BBC productions. I had to sleep with a Strunk & White’s under my pillow.

I still have nightmares.

Eventually, I moved to Los Angeles, where I worked in TV and film production. LA is filled with production companies set up in houses across the hills and valleys. Each one supplies different elements, such as visual effects, editing, or music. I’ve worked as a writer and production coordinator (the worst job in Hollywood, by the way) for Greg Aronowitz, who created miniature cities for Stephen Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence;. I also worked for a number of composers, including Snuffy Walden, composer for The West Wing and The Stand.

I co-authored the  Jenna Stack Mystery Series with the charming and witty Alix Sloan, author of The Peonies. The revamped series will relaunch in 2023, under the pen name Hanna Wren.

I am currently finishing a dystopian novel.

I balance my writing, blog and social media with teaching yoga and playing Oculus Quest 2.

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  • Wish I would have found You (Amy) years ago, but Now is Beautiful! Truly love Your website and look forward to reading Your books!!
    Your Subject matter is Uplifting and Refreshing. Your Light truly shines even thru the Dark Web.
    Yesterday is History
    Tomorrow is a Mystery
    But TODAY is A Present 🎁
    Keep up the Great Work!
    You are a Wonderous Writer who tackles the Tough Subjects. Love and Light to You Amy E!

  • Donald J. Trump.

    Happy New Year.

    Transits.

    1-Jan-2021 002°,54'00 Aquarius Jup 135 Ura
    1-Jan-2021 +11°,29'40 Mars // Asc
    1-Jan-2021 001°,43'43 Aquarius Sat 180 C-12

    • My name is Andries H, Cats.

      I rectify horoscopes.

      I also drawn cartoons.

      I have made some on Donald J. Trump.

      Trump looks in the mirror and his face in the mirror says: you have lost.

      Trump has been knocked down by Biden and Trump says I won on points,

      Biden and Trump plays golf.
      Biden is hitting Trump and Trump flies as a golfbal in the air.

      I have other interests.
      Car designing, painting and more....

  • i am sorry about posting on this site about my theory. i was googling info about simulation theory my nephew asked about and came across your site ( one of couple that looked interesting to me). thank you it is nice work and site and good luck with all.

  • i am a woman arm chair scientist who has found the roots of universe/nature (us). it took me 16 years to uncover this simple truth which is based on 1 +1+1 and 2+2+2 etc through to 9 and other half is 9 components (3 of time, 3 of celestial and 3 of atom) which shows evolution for us beyond what we know. both halves are intertwined with each other as is the brain which is no coincidence. was great at making these discoveries but am not at getting them acknowledged as have many others who were the first to discover revolutionary truths. my work is based on entanglement, quantum tunneling and superpositions and how they do effect us as humans on the macro level. if you are interested in my structured reality theory i would love to share it. nikola tesla said if you knew the magnificence of 3, 6 and 9 you would have the key to theuniverse. i dont know what he meant since i only have a tenth grade education even if i did i might not understand it, any way he was right. i do have the key and it is what i shared above about 9 components on 3 levels and then 9 repeating to infinity number patterns, we are correlated to each of those components and number patterns as man, woman and the child/I. the very roots of consciousness is very simply based on information as a form of energy. i am atheist and this is not about computer simulation theory. it is greatest discoveries (multiple) since einstein and theory of time which i used for several years as clue (past, present and future equalness) but in first half of my theory time is spaced as 0 00 (past, present and future) but equal. i found out why they are equal and this time spacing (level 1 of my first half of my theory of 3 levels) is the most controversial because i say we experience quantum effects ( if i say how you wont believe me). my work will explain so many mysteries if i could just get someone to listen. take care, peggy brownlee. ps since i am very poor, dont know computers well except to search and a little email and dont have highschool education getting recognition is proving impossible. was a handywoman/ manager for 36 years and so am not to ignorant.

  • Hi...you are an interesting person for sure...please check out my blog usually reserved for law enforcement. You might find some things interesting as well

    copspeak.blogspot.com

  • So glad I followed a link from TPV - your website is beautiful, from the images to the layout to the way you do archives.

    Hope you don't mind if I steal a few ideas - I'm redoing my blog in preparation for publishing later this year. I hope.

    Alicia

      • I agree! Came over here from a link in the Passive Voice and LOVE the site. Your expose on The Barbarians at the Gate - phenomenal.

        Let me know when you get around to writing some sci-fi or fantasy, and I'll surely buy your book! ;)

  • How great to grow up with a parent who loves Science fiction. When I was growing up my parents would tell me to stop reading that crap.
    Like you I read many of the same authors. My favorites were Ray Bradbury , Heinlein, Tolkien, Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven, Issac Asimov and many more. Reading Something Wicked this way comes, the illustrated Man and October People made me forever love Ray Bradbury and helped lead me into a lifetime of enjoyment and wonder. Being a 6' 5" Swede I was also drawn to the art of Frank Frazetta. I imagined that if I had lived in the days of vikings I would have inhabited one of his paintings.
    Great Blog by the way. Look forward to reading one of your stories.

  • I know you. Through the shivering chambers where unknowns mewled, where I could not see, I envisioned you. My one-track-line is beaming across spacetime, where upon closer inspection you see the nerves I call my pseudopodia, ticking and torching about like worms on fire--becoming stale sticks in my wake in present but in all times remain fresh. When at the last the happenstance of lines crossed occurs--you will know me. I define myself not by my worldly power as externally defined, but by my jumptrance, the reason for my disemvoweled taking of the fictional Mahdi's name. It is my jumptrance you must witness and feel and gather all musings from. For this you will need only your instincts, I assure you. When dismissals, doubts, and fears desist, it is there you will find me.

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