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Writing Bio
At varying times in her life, speculative fiction author Stefanie Worth wanted to be a priest, a model, a dancer, a cop and a lawyer. Oh, yes, and a writer. Fortunately, life’s been kind enough to let her sample most of her heart’s desires – except for the seminary. She began studying ballet at age six and branched into other forms of dance during middle school, winning the Miss Black Teenage World of Missouri title at 17 and landing a coveted spot on the University of Missouri-Columbia Golden Girls squad as a college sophomore.
Along the way, she started her first diary – lined note cards contained by tin-foil covered cardboard, began writing “Letters to the People” that allowed her to privately editorialize on life, developed a penchant for poetry and decided that being a writer meant pursing a career as a reporter. The thing she remembers most about Journalism School at the University of Missouri-Columbia, is that students spent more time learning about life than they did learning how to write. A surprise then, but perfectly logical many years later, Stefanie understands that “writing what you know” means experiencing the world for yourself. She started predictably, following the prescribed career course dictated by the J-School: anchoring Morning and Evening Edition segments for National Public Radio affiliate KBIA and morning news cut-ins for KOMU-TV. Stefanie moved to Detroit and joined WJLB radio in Detroit where she soon found herself doing on-air news. From there, her roads diverged and she choose to pursue print journalism, working for the Michigan Chronicle and penning briefs for the Metro Times and articles for Class, Black Excellence and Upscale magazines. Yet, those other “want-to-do’s” kept calling and so she obliged. Unlike some adventurous writers, she did not sign up for modeling school and narrate Detroit area fashion shows as background for a future Chick Lit novel. Likewise, her temporary aspirations to join the Detroit Police Department weren’t intended to prepare her mind for a true crime caper. (Yes, she took the written test, but had to admit to herself that she wanted to start as a detective and not have to work her way up.) And time spent in paralegal classes was not meant to fuel her inner John Grisham. No, in fact, she viewed it simply as a substitute for law school and a quick career back up option. Thus, the pursuit was short-lived. Nonetheless, each experience was duly documented in her journals-of-the-moment and filed away under “lived and learned.” Throughout her career dabbling, the writing remained constant, morphing from one arena to the next – media, government, education and nonprofit jobs – until she found herself back where she started at ten years old: still wanting to be a writer, specifically, an author. Her pre-fiction work met with starter-style successes: Inkling (an early version of her first published novel) placed as a finalist in Coeur de Louisiane’s 2005 Romancing the Tome Contest; her poem “Romance” won first place in the 1993 Paul Laurence Dunbar poetry contest sponsored by the Detroit Writers Guild; her poem “Milagro” was featured in the Metro Times 1992 annual Summer Fiction Issue; and her work at the Michigan Chronicle was recognized by the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). Stefanie is the author of Where Souls Collide, Can You Believe (a novella in The Holiday Inn anthology), and HeavenSent.com (in the Holiday Brides anthology). Where Souls Collide, her fiction debut, won the Science Fiction category of the 2008 African American Literary Awards. Originally from St. Louis, she now lives in Michigan with her kids – who accept the characters she spins as part of the family. When not penning fiction, she works for the local chapter of a national nonprofit. Stefanie feels fortunate to be able to lend a unique adult perspective to all her childhood dreams; one that lets her fondest wishes come true through the magic of writing. |
About My Stories |
There’s no greater feeling than making up an ordinary woman and turning her into the heroine of my book. She’s always somebody from today’s world who gets caught up in a supernatural situation that tests her smarts and her heart. She’ll meet the challenge with grit. She’ll make the tough choices. She’ll change and she’ll win. But the question will always be “At what cost?”
With my stories you’ll see: Magic works in mysterious ways. Just believe. |
Awards |
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