photo of Elizabeth Engstrom by Mary Bartnikowski

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photo of Elizabeth Engstrom by Mary Bartnikowski
photo by Mary Bartnikowski

Elizabeth (Liz**) Engstrom grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois (a Chicago suburb where she lived with her father) and Kaysville, Utah (north of Salt Lake City, where she lived with her mother). After graduating from high school in Illinois, she ventured west in a serious search for acceptable weather, eventually settling in Honolulu. She attended college and worked as an advertising copywriter.

After eight years on Oahu, she moved to Maui, found a business partner and opened an advertising agency. One husband, two children and five years later, she sold the agency to her partner and had enough seed money to try her hand at full time fiction writing, her lifelong dream. With the help of her mentor, science fiction great Theodore Sturgeon, When Darkness Loves Us was published.

Engstrom moved to Oregon in 1986, where she lives with her husband Al Cratty, the legendary muskie fisherman, and their Duck Tolling Retriever, Jook. She holds a BA in English Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing, a Master's degree in Applied Theology, and a Certificate of Pastoral Care and Ministry, all from Marylhurst University.

In addition to writing, she provides interfaith, non-denominational spiritual care through Love and Mercy Ministries. An introvert at heart, she still emerges into public occasionally to teach a class in novel or short story writing, or to speak at a writer's convention or conference.

You can find her on www.goodreads.com.

Want to know what's on her mind? Here's Liz's blog.

Want to read something really wonderful? Liz has been a student of The URANTIA Book since 1978. "Divine truth is best known by its spiritual flavor." Check it out.

If you're interested in the perpetual sustainability of this planet, please go to www.monjoronson.com, and read or listen to the archives. Learn about the Magisterial Mission and what part you can play in it.

Liz Highly Recommends these Books on Writing:

The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Editionby Christopher Vogler

Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Lifeby Terry Brooks

On Writingby Stephen King

Write Away: One Novelist's Approach to Fiction and the Writing Lifeby Elizabeth George

The Novel Writer's Toolkit: A Guide to Writing Novels and Getting Publishedby Bob Mayer

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Lifeby Anne Lamott

**Purple Amoeba