I graduated from the University of Iowa  but  began writing for my hometown (Independence, Iowa) newspaper at the age of 10 and was Editor-in-Chief of  my high school newspaper.  I also wrote articles (interviews) for my hometown newspaper when I was ten. I continued my education, including a Ferner/Hearst Journalism Scholarship and a Freshman Merit Scholarship at Iowa, and then studied at Berkeley, WIU, NIU and the University of Chicago. ( Masters (+30) in English, Journalism and Education.) My career path led to teaching 7th and 8th grade language arts (Silvis, Illinois) and teaching writing and literature classes at 6 IA/IL colleges or universities, including a class teaching film at Black Hawk Junior College. In 1986 I  established the second Sylvan Learning Center in the state of Iowa and a Prometric Testing Center, in conjunction with ETS of Princeton, NJ. I've taught at all 6 IA/IL Quad City colleges.

A life-long film buff, I reviewed film and books for the Quad City Times newspaper (Davenport, IA) in the ’70s and continued reviewing into the ’80s. I also interviewed  local celebrities for the (Moline, IL) Daily Dispatch and wrote humor columns for Metro East and the (Rock Island, IL) Reminder.

I have written in nearly every genre, with the exception of romance, mystery and erotica. I'm writing 4 books a year currently, and have 2 new books coming out by Christmas, KHAKI = KILLER, third book in THE COLOR OF EVIL series and "The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats," an illustrated children's book for my 4-year-old twin granddaughters. The first book was THE CHRISTMAS CATS IN SILLY HATS.  I live in East Moline, Illinois, and in Chicago, Illinois, with my husband, Craig. My son, Scott, and his wife Jessica and their twin daughters live in Chicago and my daughter, Stacey, who just returned from Australia, now  lives and works in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

I'm a member of IWPA (Illinois Women’s Press Association), AWP (American Writing Program), MWC (Midwest Writing Center), MWA (Midwest Writing Association), and  ITW (International Thriller Writers).. I maintain my own blog (www.weeklywilson.com) and was named 2009 Content Producer of the Year for  Yahoo. I've also been named Writer of the Year (March 30, 2010) by the Midwest Writing Center and Silver Feather recipient by the Chicago chapter of IWPA (June 6, 2012).

 

["Carrie-meets-"The Fury"-meets-television's "The Medium."] Tad McGreevy's paranormal power (Tetrachromatic Super Vision) allows him to "see" the actions of those with "the color of evil" (khaki), reliving their crimes in his dreams. (*If you count the hyphenated part as one word, that's  28 words).

 

Finishing it.

 

I have read SO MANY books as a Literature major at the University of Iowa that I couldn't possibly name just ONE book that has had "the greatest influence on me." I've also interviewed Kurt Vonnegut, David Morrell, Joe Hill, William F. Nolan, Frederik Pohl, Jon Land, Audrey Braun, Anne Perry, John Irving, Barry r. Flowers, and, soon, Valerie Plame, regarding her new fiction thriller "Blowback," so I'll have to say that ALL great books have influenced me, one way or another.

 

I am struggling manfully---or womanfully---to figure out exactly the answer to that very relevant question. So far, I've not hired a professional Public Relations firm, not because I don't want to, but because it is very expensive. On my own, I blog (www.WeeklyWilson.com), I twitter (11,000 followers), I write for Yahoo (Featured Contributer), I use Pinterest, I use LinkedIn, I do signings in person, I've given speeches. I have had trailers and websites made for my major works. I have used the Kindle KDP free giveaway program, driving two of my books to #8 and #11. I'll probably use the new "bundling" program that just came out from Amazon. I've used some other Amazon programs that are available and am considering the use of Net Galley, but I am an amateur at knowing what I SHOULD be doing, and that is where attending conferences and trying to learn from those in the know is, hopefully, going to be helpful. I tried buying ads on Facebook, but did not think it did much. I had better luck with AskthePublishingGuru. One thing I do endorse heartily are Virtual Tours, but you have to find the right Virtual Tour organizer (if you aren't going to do it yourself.) The Canadian girl I use is the best. I've done e-mail blasts and am trying to build up my list of people who want to be contacted regarding my writing. Check back with me in another 10 years and I may know what I'm doing to SUCCESSFULLY market my books. So far, I've had some hits and some misses.

 

I like to travel and recently did a book signing during a trip to Australia and New Zealand at the Galaxy Bookstore on York Street in Sydney, Australia (January cruise and rented an apartment in Sydney). I go back and forth between East Moline and Chicago (3 and 1/2 hours one way), as there are a number of writing groups in Chicago that I am involved with. I'm attending the Chicago Writers' Conference September 27-29, for instance, and I applied to read at the Harold Washington Library, which may or may not occur. They want funny. I have one collection of funny entitled "Laughing through Life," but it's not my most current book.  I'm one of the judges of nonfiction entries for the Chicago Writers' Association competition. I also attended ITW Conference (International Thriller Writers) in July. We just traveled to Nashville over Labor Day, by way of St. Louis, and I have a piece up on my blog (www.WeeklyWilson.com) about the exhibit of Bruce Munro entitled "Light" that involved over 20,000 lights on the grounds of the Cheekwood Estate. I review film and am going to be seeing 4 films a day from October 9 through October 24 during the Chicago Film Festival and I'll be attending the Press Breakfast on September 17. I cover the Iowa caucuses during presidential years.  In April, we routinely go to Cancun with our family (time shares) and we also have a time share in Mazatlan that we don't use as frequently. I like beaches, warm weather, travel, good movies, good television ("Homeland," "The Killing," "Dexter," "Breaking Bad," "The Bridge," "Modern Family," "Game of Thrones," "Nurse Jackie," "Boardwalk Empire," "Ray Donovan," "Low Winter Sun," etc.), reading, writing and playing trivia. Plus, I have two children and two granddaughters, so I manage to keep busy and (usually) out of trouble. This weekend, we're taking two old friends to Chicago and renting an electric boat to cruise around the Chicago River with up to 15 friends and I am keen on attending the event listed here, where people try to fly home-made airplanes (hilariously) and, also, the music festival going on in Chicago. Otherwise, I'd probably be going to the I-Heart-Radio-Show in Vegas, which we did one year. Just saw John Mayer and Phillip Phillips at Tinley Park, and I'm really looking forward to Bruno Mars at half-time of the Super Bowl. (Saw Prince not long ago in Chicago, just before the Rolling Stones, at the United Center.)

 

The third book in THE COLOR OF EVIL trilogy (www.TheColorOfEvil.com), entitled KHAKI = KILLER will be ready this fall. Also, a children's illustrated book for the holidays entitled "The Christmas Cats Chase Christmas Rats" will be out for Christmas, as a Christmas present for my 4-year-old twin granddaughters. Hopefully, as they get older, they can help me write it. Illustrations will be by Rhode Island artist Gary McCloskey. When these two are launched, I need to finish 5 short stories to complete HELLFIRE & DAMNATION III. (www.HellfireAndDamnationTheBook.com), the short story series organized around Dante's "Inferno" and the 9 Circles of Hell and the crimes or sins punished at each. Then, I will consider a sequel to the nonfiction book "It Came from the 70s" (www.ItCamefromTheSeventies.com), which was a collection of 50 film reviews published at the time, with 76 photos and interactive trivia. Or, knowing me, I might write something about my 2008 trip to Denver and St. Paul (and elsewhere) to cover the DNC and RNC. 2016 is right around the corner and that means another presidential race, so I'm sure that will be something I will want to check in to. And, if readers want THE COLOR OF EVIL series to continue and let me know that, there may well be a fourth book. It's really an adult series or a "new YA" series, which means readers between 18-24, with a hero with a power that really does exist in real life and believable events. While it's been mentioned in the same breath as "Under the Dome" or Dean Koontz's books, it is far more down-to-earth as to whether it could really happen IRL.