Published Fear of Writing Authors
If you feel you belong on this page, please email Milli and let her know!
This page features regular users of the FoW method who have become published since getting involved with Fear of Writing.
Four are mainstream authors, three are self-published, several are e-book authors and one has had a series of articles published in a glossy magazine. Others had local articles published using Milli's baby steps approach shortly after attending the Fear of Writing Clinic.
If you feel intimidated by this page because you haven't published anything yet, just remember that one of the mainstream authors featured here first came to the Fear of Writing Clinic with a fear of finishing. Another author was told by her critique group that she didn't have her own voice. Once she was freed of that well-meant but misguided advice, she really came into her own.
We hope this page will encourage you to make your own writing dreams come true. And we'd be thrilled if you also used the Fear of Writing methods, as these authors have, to help you enjoy the journey.
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I’d been battling a case of writer’s block ever since the terrorist attack on September 11. Each word needed to be squeezed out of me like lemon juice, and when it hit the page it was just as sour. And then I read “Jack’s House.” Every obstacle Helen encountered, every fear she had, every thought she had, paralleled my own troubles so completely I was stunned. I had been terrified that my fiction was trivial, meaningless, and without purpose, but when I finished reading “Jack’s House” I understood what I needed to do. This was the miracle I’d been searching for. Thank you!
J. R. Turner, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, author of Stark Knight
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Kimina Lyall
Although the background has mostly been cropped out, Kimina is seen here in front of a large promotional image of her book cover during her book launch at the ABC Shop in Melbourne, December 5, 2006.
Before writing her book, Kimina was working as a successful journalist for The Australian newspaper. Fatefully, she was offered the coveted position of Southeast Asia correspondent and her home base moved to Bangkok. She and her life partner, JP, also acquired land on Thailand's Koh Phra Thong island and set about building a weekend home, which they later christened Baan Tarntawan.
JP and Kimina were on Koh Phra Thong
on December 26, 2004 when the now-infamous tsunami swept the Indian Ocean, killing hundreds of thousands of people. They and other residents watched first in curiosity, and then in dawning horror, as the wave approached their idyllic beach community.
Not only did Kimina have to deal with surviving the wave itself, and the personal aftermath, but she was required by her job to cover this major news event. What eventually came out of it all is her book, Out of the Blue: Facing the Tsunami (ABC Books, 2006).
In the midst of writing her book, Kimina came up against a farily disabling case of writer's block. Searching the Web, she found Fear of Writing and visited the section for the Online Creative Writing Course. Her application to join the course included this honest and heartwarming letter of enquiry:
Hi Milli,
I am the journalist who recently wrote to Dee [online course presenter] about my fears around writing my first book. You are very kind to offer to talk to me about my situation and advise on whether you think your course would suit me.
I thought I might first give you a few more details. It is a tough project on many levels. Some of my problems are technical and some of them are emotional. For example, on a technical level, I feel overwhelmed at the word length required to write a book. As a journalist, I am used to editing as I go, to keeping my writing concise and crisp. It is very difficult to allow the writing to expand without me thinking I am becoming drawn-out and boring. I also fear that I simply do not have enough material to fill in a whole book.
On the emotional level, I am suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which means some days are spent in deep depression. Sometimes writing helps that, and sometimes the burden of “I should be writing” adds to it. I am also afraid of the reactions of the people who are going to be in the book. Many of them are friends and associates and I know I am terrified in advance that they will “hate me” after reading about themselves. It is not that I am writing anything awful about anyone, I am just aware that people have already had a lot of pain this year and I would hate to inadvertently add to it.
I considered your course because I thought that the discipline of following through some unrelated creative writing exercises might help “unblock” me from my current inertia.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email and to consider whether you think your course would benefit me.
Kimina
While Dee worked with Kimina in the online arena of the course curriculum, Milli worked with Kimina via email and “Internet telephone” (Skype), lending further emotional support as well as feedback on the book itself. Kimina also received key support and advice from various friends and writing colleagues closer to home. This was, as we can all imagine, an incredibly difficult book to put to paper.
Her courage in finishing the book now speaks for itself, and she is touching lives with her story. You can hear Kimina interviewed by Richard Fidler of ABC Online (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), visit her page at the Pacific Tsunami Museum, and read five-star praise from some of her ABC Shop book customers.
You can also order Kimina's book from the ABC Shop (if you live outside Australia, click on “Delivery and Payments” at the bottom of her book's order page for info about International Airmail).
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Sandra Moore Williams
Author of Faces: What You See Is What You Get, Sandra is a popular face reader in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area in Texas.
During a special promotion held for Fear of Writing in Jan. 2006, Sandra contributed by offering a bonus e-book, Face Reading for Writers: How to Use Face Reading to Deepen Your Fictional Characters. This will be available soon as a gift for enrolling in the Fear of Writing Online Course.
In this illustrated e-book, Sandra interprets sketches of faces and facial features in terms of character traits, a skill which can be used by fiction writers to enrich their character descriptions.
Face Reading for Writers is exclusive to Fear of Writing.
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Penelope Stowell
August 2005 saw the proud release of Penelope's first mainstream children's book, The Greatest Potatoes, which is available from Amazon.com.
News Flash 12/13/05: The Greatest Potatoes has been nominated for the Texas Library Association Bluebonnet Award! Congratulations, Penelope.
Penelope is also the author of two e-books published through Fear of Writing:Horse Sense and If Wishes Were Horses.
Penelope is near legendary at Fear of Writing. She has attended the Fear of Writing Clinic, the Tantrick Writing Clinic and is a life-time member of the Santa Fe Fertile Material Writing Circle. She was of enormous help to Milli during the e-book project and was the leader of the Santa Fe writing circle during Milli's battle with ill health. She is greatly loved and appreciated at Fear of Writing.
Penelope now lives in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, and belongs to a local critique group. She is currently writing a novel with the working title Monkey Simon.
Click on cover images for book descriptions and excerpts, or to purchase:
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J. R. Turner
“The Mexican desert is hot as hell . . . and things are only going to get worse.”
September 2005 was a hot month as J. R. Turner (better known at Fear of Writing as Jennifer Turner) burst onto the scene with her action adventure novel, Stark Knight.
Jenny is a prolific writer and has a heart as big as Texas. She has helped, encouraged, and given joy and laughter to many at Fear of Writing in her several leadership roles.
Jenny was editor of Fear of Writing Gazette (2001 - 2002), the moderator of the fondly remembered FoW chat room #1, and the designer of the online writing course. She also acted as course presenter until Milli had to shut down Fear of Writing in July 2002 due to health problems. Jenny will long be treasured for her contributions.
Operating as RotoWriter, she has also built up a fine reputation with her friendly and professional critique service.
Click on cover image for book description, or to purchase:
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Dena Harris
Dena was the winner of the Writer Gazette/Fear of Writing short story contest in May 2002 with her clever and entertaining story, Don't Poach the Roach.
Released by Spotlight Publishing in September, 2005, Dena's new humor/gift book is entitled Lessons In Stalking . . . Adjusting to Life With Cats.
Dena's writing has been featured in over forty national and international magazines and newspapers, as well as in anthologies and on Websites.
She is assistant editor for North Carolina Career Networking Magazine, a columnist for numerous publications, and teaches several courses on writing and public speaking.
She is a member of the International Cat Writers' Association and the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators.
Click on cover image for book description, or to purchase:
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Glenn Walker
Glenn is a member of Closet Writers' Liberation Camp and the owner/moderator of Writers Chat, a chatroom for writers that Milli originally started at fearofwriting.com. (Read more about Writers Chat on the “Fun Stuff” page. Scroll up for menu bar.)
Writer Michelle Ailene True has compiled an anthology of poetry entitled In Katrina's Wake to which Glenn contributed five of his poems. 100% of all profits from the sale of In Katrina's Wake will be donated
to the American Red Cross, to aid in their efforts to provide shelter, clothing,
food, water, medical care and other necessities
to victims of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes,
fires and other disasters.
Here are the titles of Glenn's poems in the anthology:
- Commas
- Big Fat Chunks of My Dark Past
- How Are You Feeling Today?
- My Friend Death
- Non Recycler
Click on cover image for more info, or to purchase:
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Cindy Robison
Cindy is the one exception to the rule on this page—she was already self-published when Milli met her, with a fun book entitled, I Love My 'Puter.
“But this page wouldn't be complete without Cindy,” Milli said. “I met Cindy in 2000 after my book came out. I went on two local radio talk shows and Cindy heard me being interviewed on KTAO. She contacted me through my Website and we met for coffee. We have been dear friends ever since.”
Cindy has attended (and assisted at) the Fear of Writing Clinic, and she also attended the two-day Tantrick Writing Clinic. She was a regular of the Taos Fertile Material Writing Circle for over a year and is the designer of the Fear of Writing T-shirt, coffee mug and mouse pad.
She is seen here (on the left) assisting Milli at the 2001 Santa Fe Festival of the Book.
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Writers' Collective
Free e-book: Fertile Material short stories by writers in Santa Fe, New Mexico
At the Santa Fe Fertile Material Writing Circle, members were complaining that they'd done so many of the 112 Fertile Material writing prompts (from Fear of Writing) that it was becoming hard to find a fresh prompt. So Milli began to use the group to test-drive some of her prompts from the sequel (Son of Fear of Writing).
One evening while using the writing prompt, The Devil's Darning Needle, the group had such an enjoyable time they wanted to commemorate the event in a small anthology. At that time (2003), Milli was working on an e-book project to publish regulars who use the Fertile Material, so it was a natural progression.
The photo shows everyone published in the e-book, plus some writers and guests who did not participate. From left to right: Penelope Stowell, Collen Welch, Robbie Lipworth, Jayni Therkildsen and spouse Jorn, Milli Thornton, Terry Wilson and friend Mark, Jim Meyer, Fred Mitchem
“Spend a creative evening with six members of the Santa Fe Fertile Material Writing Circle. The writers explore a single Fertile Material exercise and share their freshly inspired raw material with you, from the comic to the poetic, from the deep South to fantastical lands, from the scientific to the magical. Meet six of our Guest Authors and find out more about how Fear of Writing works through this free sampler e-book.”
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Theresa O'Connor
After returning to Taos, New Mexico (where Milli lived at the time) from pastry chef training in New York, Theresa took part in the FoW e-book project with her story collection entitled Only the Wise. Her title refers to a writing prompt on page 23 of Fear of Writing.
Theresa has attended the Fear of Writing Clinic, the Tantrick Writing Clinic and was a regular of the Taos Fertile Material Writing Circle. She's a devoted reader and user of the book and, at last report, had read Fear of Writing from cover to cover five times. She has also been published in the Fear of Writing Gazette. Theresa now lives in Arizona and is active in her new career as pastry chef.
“WHO IS SENDING Connie flowers? What's it like to be a humming-bird spy at a bed & breakfast? Meet a budding writer trying to escape his family's expectations. Next meet Minerva and Zeus . . . cat and dog, the quintessential love/hate relationship. Experience humility in the face of serendipitous good fortune, and Grandma and Grandpa Fleming on a health kick. Talk about being overworked—you may recognize yourself in the cautionary tale, 'Pajama Day.' These stories could belong to anyone.”
Click on cover image for table of contents and excerpt, or to purchase
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Sandra Schairer
Sandy had fun putting together her FoW e-book, Once Upon a Blue Moon, as well as supplying the authentic graphic for the cover.
Sandy has attended both the Fear of Writing Clinic and the Tantrick Writing Clinic. She was a regular of the Albuquerque Fertile Material Writing Circle for over a year.
“I'd like to thank Milli Thornton for the innovative writing technique she developed to help writers get over their fear of writing. I would also like to thank the friends in my Fertile Material writing circle who’ve written with me weekly for over a year, listened to me read my stories, and shared their writing with me. I think it has made me a better writer, certainly a happier one.”
—Sandy Schairer, Tijeras, New Mexico, from the dedication page in her e-book, Once Upon a Blue Moon
“CAN ELLEN MACREADY actually 'order' perfect weather for her big graduation party? Meet Magician Mordicai who sells weather spells. What caused FIB Agent Coyote to see strange things in suburban Maryland on his latest S-File? See how Bob achieves his 15 minutes of fame (or does he?), and be with Ghafir as he rides the desert sands of Arabia. Funny characters who take themselves seriously, serious characters who think they're funny. Enjoy the ride and fasten your seat belts loosely, leaving plenty of room for wackiness and laughter.”
Click on cover image for table of contents and excerpt, or to purchase
Check out Sandy's new book!
Extremely Short Stories for Busy People
*Anthology of humorous flash fiction
*127 pages, soft-cover revised version of Once Upon a Blue Moon
*Read an excerpt on Sandy's blog: “Bad Hair Day and a Half”
*Retail price: $10 plus $2 shipping & handling
To purchase, send $12.00 (check or money order) to:
Sandy Schairer
P.O. Box 988
Tijeras, NM 87059
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Jayni Therkildsen
Jayni's beautiful writing defies categorization. In her e-book, Arabesque in Blue, she has brought together a good selection of the shimmering poetry and lyric prose that she has shared over the years with the Santa Fe Fertile Material Writing Circle.
Jayni attended the very first Fear of Writing Clinic (Santa Fe, March 2001), came to the Tantrick Writing Clinic twice, and has also twice completed the Fear of Writing online course—the second time without even owning a computer! She is a life-time member of the Santa Fe Fertile Material Writing Circle and has been published in the Fear of Writing Gazette.
“What is writing but a conversation with our secrets? This collection of tales, tone poems and word dances is a glimpse into the hidden world that arose during Therkildsen's first two years of participation in the Santa Fe Fertile Material Writing Circle. It's a retrospective woven together by random connections; surprises; the knowing and the known; the being and the becoming. For, after all, one day is a poem. One day is a short story. One day is a rainstorm of liquid images spilling across the page. But all are born of the same source. . . . ”
Click on cover image for table of contents and excerpt, or to purchase
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Deirdre Nielsen
DEIRDRE NIELSEN is a certified Fear of Writing Clinic Workshop Presenter and has also served as Course Presenter for the Fear of Writing Online Course. She is an avid member of the Bulverde Fertile Material Writing Circle held every Tuesday at Chicki's Coffee Shop, and her short story “Dear Murphy” was published in the Fear of Writing Gazette.
Dee has worked as a feature writer for the monthly newspaper, The Hill Country Edge and the glossy magazine, San Antonio Weddings. She is a member of the Canyon Lake Storytelling Guild. She paints in acrylics and brings a creative touch to everything she does. Even her house renovations are indelibly stamped with her magical artistry.
Dee was born in Ireland, has held executive jobs in England, and worked in a hot dog stand on Grand Cayman Island. She lives with her husband, Kerry, two dogs (Penny and Sweetie) and two cats (Angel and Mr. Stubbs) in Canyon Lake, Texas. She is currently working on two novels, Divided We Fall and Connections, and a children's storybook, The Thistle Fairy in Texas.
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Sandy Miller
After attending the Fear of Writing Clinic at Chicki's Coffee Shop (Bulverde, Texas, April 2005), Sandy submitted a short story to The Hill Country Edge entitled Small Town Chatter. It was published in the July 2005 issue. Her short story, The Home Run, was published in the October 2005 issue.
Years previous to joining Fear of Writing, Sandy self-published an illustrated collection of her poetry, entitled Midnight in My Mind (Volume I and II), as a Christmas gift for family and friends.
Sandy has also written and self-published several memoirs for elderly people. She is currently working with an elderly woman in Blanco, Texas, who is suffering from vision problems, to help get her children's stories into a written form.
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Holly White
After attending the Fear of Writing Clinic (Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, May 2005), Holly was handed a writing assignment by Milli and she came through with flying colors.
Her assignment was to travel into San Antonio, interview an African-American woman by the name of Connie Brown, and then write an article about Connie's invention.
Connie, a retired school teacher, has invented a board game about the slaves who escaped from slavery via the Underground Railroad. Holly completed every step of the process with professional flair, including submitting her article and photos in advance of the editor's deadline.
Holly's article, entitled The Perilous Journey to Freedom, was published in the July 2005 issue of The Hill Country Edge. Holly is now working on her next goal, which is to become a travel writer.
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John Gaines
After attending the Fear of Writing Clinic (Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, May 2005), John followed Milli's suggestions for getting an article into a local publication.
He was quickly published in The Hill Country Edge with a clever satire entitled Guardrail Damage Ahead, and the following month with a profile on stained glass artist, Nancy Cole, entitled Patterns in Glass.
John's next project is an article for San Antonio newspaper, Much Ado News, about a local business known as Water 2 Wine.
John is a regular member of the Boerne Fertile Material Writing Circle. He plans to participate in Fear of Writing Radio with a Fertile Material story based on the writing prompt “Portrait of Milady” (pg. 195 of Fear of Writing).
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Colleen Welch
Colleen is the Assistant Coordinator for
Project WILD/Aquatic WILD
Conservation Education at the
New Mexico Dept. of Game and Fish.
She has been published on several occasions in New Mexico Wildlife Magazine.
Colleen attended Milli's Tantrick Writing Clinic in November 2001 and is a life-time member of the Santa Fe Fertile Material Writing Circle.
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Beatrice Moore
After attending the Fear of Writing Clinic (Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, May 2005), Bea followed through with Milli's suggestions from the workshop on how to break into a local publication.
She wrote an article entitled 70-Foot Cross, which was published in the July issue of The Hill Country Edge.
Bea is seen here (second row, second from the right) with her companions at the Fear of Writing Clinic.
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