Look and Listen

Biography

A contributing columnist to Michael Geffner’s newsletter on writing, Marilyn Peake is also the author of both adult and children’s literature. Her short stories have appeared in three anthologies published by Double Dragon Publishing: "Illuminated Manuscripts", "Twisted Tails", and "Twisted Tails II: Time on our Hands". "Coyote Crossing" and "Cannon Fodder: Operation Horse Whisperer", Marilyn’s short stories published by DDP with their own book covers, are listed among the "Fictionwise Recommendations" at Fictionwise.com. "Twisted Tails" and "Coyote Crossing" were voted TOP TEN Finishers in the 2006 Preditors & Editors Readers Poll. Marilyn’s article entitled "Tips for Writers: How Did Twisted Tails Become a Best-seller within Days of Publication?" was voted a TOP TEN Finisher in the "Nonfiction Articles" Category of the 2006 Preditors & Editors Readers Poll. Marilyn’s trilogy of children’s fantasy adventure novels- -"The Fisherman’s Son", "The City of the Golden Sun", and "Return of the Golden Age"- -have received glowing reviews. "The Fisherman’s Son" has also been produced as an audio book by a professional audio production company, read by the voice actor, Andrew Dollar. The audio book of "The Fisherman’s Son" was named a Finalist in the 2006 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards. In addition, Marilyn is the Editor of the book entitled "From Hollywood Experts and Published Authors: Words of Wisdom for Starving Artists"- -a collection of articles from her newsletter, "The Golden Goblet". Marilyn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology. Before becoming a writer, she worked as both a Social Worker and Staff Psychologist. Her Masters Thesis research was presented at an annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association. Marilyn Peake’s Website: http://www.marilynpeake.com Marilyn's Newsletter, "The Golden Goblet": http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marilynpeake/?yguid=145479362 Marilyn’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=marilynpeake

Inspiration

From the time I was a young child, I wanted to be a writer and published author. Many things inspire me, and I feel motivated to create fictional stories centering around those events. I like to start with an idea and take it deeper, including symbolic and psychological layers in my writing. Examples of this can be found in all my short stories. "Coyote Crossing", one of my short stories published with its own book cover, was inspired by the word "Coyote", used to identify people who assist Mexicans to cross illegally into the United States. As I wrote the story, I used animal symbols and tapped into the scenery of the land along the Rio Grande, creating a dark fantasy with language steeped in imagery. "Cannon Fodder: Operation Horse Whisperer", another one of my short stories published with its own book cover, was inspired by news reports. For this one, I reached into my imagination of a possible future, in order to create a futuristic science fiction/political thriller. I have three short stories published in the first "Twisted Tails" anthology: "Witches’ Season", "Tiger in the Plum Blossoms", and "Return to Roswell". All started with ideas that sparked my imagination. "Witches’ Season" began by picturing the horror of the historical period in which witches were burned to death. I wrote "Tiger in the Plum Blossoms" in the style of the pillow books from the Heian Period of Japan, after reading "The Tale of Genji" written by Murasaki Shikibu during that time period. "Return to Roswell" started simply with the idea of two rather silly girls visiting Roswell and discovering more than they had bargained for. I also have a short story published in "Twisted Tails II: Time on our Hands – Volume 1", entitled "Mummy in the Art Museum". I had great fun writing this one! It was inspired by a visit to the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art, during which I discovered a mummy on display. I thought, "Hmmmm, if that mummy were to wake up and discover that it had been placed in an art museum, would it be angry?" I have more publications; but I think this gives you an idea of how I find inspiration for my fictional stories.