Gwen Mansfield: Hunting down the stories that will haunt you forever.
Gwen is the author of the dystopian, soft sci-fi, Roll Call Trilogy, book #1 Roll Call, book #2 Inside The Third, and book #3 Reluctant Warriors (out in fall of 2018)
Regarding writing, Gwen says, “Hunt: to pursue with intent to capture. It begins with the story hunting me. I ignore it. I don’t like it. I resist it. I try to forget it. Then I relinquish. I peek around the corner to see if this story is legit or a figment trying to distract me. When I stare it in the face, I see the taunting eyes prompting me to follow—catch this story if I can. Then the roles reverse. I become the hunter"
With a BA degree from Seattle Pacific University in Theatre, MA from Central Washington University in Theatre Production, and MFA from University of New Orleans in Creative Writing, Gwen’s writing is driven by a dramatic eye, quippy dialogue, and a passion for quirky, strong characters. She is also the author of the historical fiction Experiment Station Road, the musical Resistance! (based on the book Tales of the Resistance by David and Karen Mains), and the stage plays: Grace Diner, Experiment Station Road—Stories from the Journey, The Luggage of Ellis, and You’ve Got 90 Seconds.
Gwen loves words and weaving them into a compelling story of urgency and relevance, challenging her to release her passion on the page.
She is driven to write and says, "Haunt: to appear habitually, stay around, persist. To say I’m pursued by the story—understatement. I hear the whisper when I’m driving, when I’m running, when sleep calls and I can’t come. The day I turn on my computer and write the first word—that is the day I join hands with the story. It no longer haunts me—rather a journey begins where together, we haunt you.”
Gwen lives in the forests of the Northwest with her husband, and two daughters. She enjoys the unending running trails and teaching university classes in film appreciation, creative writing, speech, and theatre.