I am a graduate of the University of Iowa with 30 additional graduate hours from Berkeley, WIU, NIU and the University of Chicago. I taught for 33 years at ages from 12 on up and have taught composition and literature classes at all 6 IA/IL colleges. I am a member of ITW (International Thriller Writers), AWP, MWA, MWC, IWPA,CWA, CWC and a former member of HWA. My books have won the Pinnacle award (Thriller), a Writer's Digest award for a screenplay based on my first novel, LuckyCinda and E-Lit awards, and Stoker praise. I was named Silver Feather winner for the Chicago chapter of Illinois Women's Press Association twice in the past three years, Content Producer of the Year by Yahoo (politics & entertainment) in 2009, and Midwest Writing Center Author of the Year in 2010. I've been married 46 years and have been writing for pay for over half a century, beginning at age 10 for my hometown newspaper. I have 2 children, born 19 years apart, play 4 musical instruments, once interviewed Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (and taught his daughter, Edie), and was film and book critic for the Quad City Times for 15 years, as well as writing a humor column for the (Moline, IL) Dispatch and interviewing local celebrities and national celebrities, among whom are William F. Nolan, Kurt Vonnegut, Joe Hill, David Morrell, Anne Perry, Valerie Plame, Frederik Pohl, Jon Land, John Irving, Allen Zadoff, and Adrian McKinty. I live in both East Moline (IL) and Chicago and travel between the two locations. I am currently writing 3 series: THE COLOR OF EVIL (novel); HELLFIRE & DAMNATION (short stories); and THE XMAS CATS (children's illustrated books for ages 3-10.) I maintain my own blog, WeeklyWilson.com, and you can find me on Twitter as Connie Wilson Author (Connie_C_Wilson), and on both Facebook and Pinterest as Connie Corcoran Wilson. My Pinterest boards won an NFPW (National Federation of Penwomen) national award this year. My newest release is KHAKI=KILLER, 3rd book in THE COLOR OF EVIL series, with HELLFIRE & DAMNATION III just about ready to go and the next Christmas Cats book nearing completion.