OFFICIAL BIO
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Barbara Hartzler is an Urban Fantasy Academy author writing about Seers, Chosen Ones, sacred stones, and secret societies ... oh my!
Her stories are full of snarky heroines, supernatural shenanigans, dreamy guys, and normal teens taking on larger-than-life quests to save the world. As a former barista and graphic designer, she loves all things sparkly and purple and is always jonesing for a good cup of joe. So grab a cup of coffee and explore all the behind-the-scenes extras in The Seer's Vault, or learn more about her writing journey, fun facts, and her favorite books on her bio page. As for piddly things like qualifications, Barbara earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Central Bible College with an emphasis on drama and media. She won an NRB/Focus on the Family essay scholarship and wrote and directed a successful one act play. She also semi-finaled in the young adult category of ACFW’s Genesis contest. Currently, she’s a fiction coach at Self-Publishing School. |
My Writing Journey
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I’m a born-and-raised Missouri native. You think that’d make me a farm girl, but I’m not that cool. Born in St. Joseph, raised in Kansas City, schooled in Springfield, I’m just a suburbanite stuck in the heartland. No, I don’t pronounce it Missoura. Yeah right! There’s an “i” on the end people.
At 17, I thought I’d prove myself a whiz kid and graduate high school a year early. I wound up at Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri—a smaller school in a way smaller town than KC. They called me a city girl because I’d point at cows along the highway and call ’em cute. Then I really went against the grain, choosing the least Bible-intensive major available, Communications. I met a ton of great people who I still consider lifelong buds. I even scored my first major writing award—second place in the National Religious Broadcaster’s scholarship contest sponsored by Focus on the Family. My prize winning essay was entitled “Cinematic Theology and The Matrix.” That means I got to research The Matrix and get paid for it. Sweet! They say steer clear of creative writing classes, but I say find a great teacher like Ms. Taylor. Her class at CBC totally jump-started my first novel. Junior year I was forced to take another writing class, scriptwriting class. Lucky me, right? I turned it into a successful one act play called Nothing to Do With You. The title, and the play, actually worked—and counted toward my Comm degree. Senior year they figured they had to put me in Who’s Who Among College Students, just in case my writing went anywhere. Graduating Cum Laude with a B.A. in Church Communication Arts, emphasizing in Drama and Media, hasn’t helped me land a fancy job like I thought. I’ve done everything from graphic design to working in the registrar’s office. Okay, so that’s about all I’ve done, unless you count barista in college. Once I finally decided to take publishing seriously, I joined ACFW and started the grueling task of learning to write fiction. It felt like relearning everything I’d ever been taught in school about writing. But boy did I ever find the key to writing great fiction—character voice. Eventually, I semi-finaled in the YA category of ACFW’s prestigious Genesis contest. That garnered me notice from several agents and editors, but nothing panned out. After going through one small pub that didn’t work out, I decided to take a chance and become an indie author. I published my first two books in 2015, even won some modest awards, and released a prequel to my YA Nexis Angel Series. But that poor little series got no traction and started sliding down the charts. Then, I wised up and joined Self-Publishing School, where I relaunched my books into the now-successful Montrose Paranormal Academy Series and its spinoff the Shadowstone Academy Series. The books were so successful that SPS asked me to become a fiction coach! Now, I help people learn to self publish their novels while working on my next series. |
Fun Facts About Me:
- Favorite color: Purple
- Favorite award: Voted “Laughs-a-lot” by my favorite manager.
- My dog Herbie was named after the Nebraska Cornhusker mascot Herbie Husker, not Herbie “The Love Bug” movies.
- I’ve got a Jane Austen action figure sitting on my desk. C’mon, give her a lil wave. You know you want to.
- Favorite Movie: While You Were Sleeping. It's a healthy + hilarious dose of NORMAL! Not to mention some awesome character writing portrayed by enormously talented actors. The perfect combo. Seriously.
- Dystopian sister story with imagery from a steely Bible verse
- FBI Suspense/Thriller developed from a foggy day
- Sci-fi/Fantasy taken from a color-filled dream
The BARBARA Awards for Best Fiction (Mostly YA)
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All-time Favorite Author: Madeleine L’Engle for A Ring of Endless Light
—Runners-up: Jane Austen & Kristin Billerbeck
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