Fantasy Author Sandy Lender began writing stories as soon as she learned to string words together on the page. As a child she entertained the folks in her great grandmother's apartment building in Southern Illinois with tales of squeaky spiders and mice picking berries, and then won awards with writing projects as she moved through the elementary and high school systems in the St. Louis area. It was apparent that a career in journalism was her calling, and she found herself proofreading, editing, and (finally) writing for trade publications after she graduated from Truman State University in Missouri. Those publications may have honed her skills in editing and writing about cattle husbandry, road construction, community management, and zealous forms of religious oppression, as well as developing her skills in public relations and marketing, but her desire to write fiction stayed with her throughout the career-building day jobs.
From her early memories of junior high, Sandy harbored the story of Amanda Chariss and the struggles of the continent of Onweald. It wasn't until the year 2000 that Sandy sat down at the computer and started typing out the words that would form her first fantasy novel, Choices Meant for Gods. By June of 2003 she had the creation that no literary agent had any interest in. But Sandy is pro-active and doesn't give up easily. She got Publisher Bob Gelinas to show interest in the story in January 2006, and the dream has since become reality.
Sandy now writes in Southwest Florida where her love of sea turtles and all things related to the Gulf waters keeps her imagination growing. Her epic fantasy novel Choices Meant for Gods is now available as is her recent release What Choices We Made. She shares a home with a demanding but lovable sun conure, a 21-year-old water turtle who dances to the songs in her extensive Duran Duran collection, and a muse who often misplaces the key to the shackles at the computer desk. You can get information about grammar and writing from her 17-year-journalism and PR career at her main blog: Today The Dragon Wins. |
Influences/Inspirations:
Charlotte Bronte, Duran Duran, moody & grey music, swords, dragons, the muses that refuse to sleep
Favorite Writers and Artists:
Charlotte Bronte and more too numerous to list
Current Projects:
The second volume of What Choices We Made, Short Stories from the History of Onweald; Choices Made for All; and a few others
Interests:
companion parrots; sea turtle conservation; writing; and more too numerous to list
Family:
everywhere
University Affiliations:
BA in English, Truman State University
Contact Information:
visit http://www.authorsandylender.com
Charities/Causes:
www.turtletime.org