Maria Alexander

Alexander was born in Hayward, California. She first started writing at the age of eight: she contracted chicken pox and was forced to stay home with nothing to occupy her, so she began to create stories.[2] She attended Ponderosa High School,[3] and earned a bachelor's degree in English from California State University, Sacramento.

Alexander's career as a professional storyteller began in 1988, when she co-founded Dead Earth Productions, a horror Live Action Role-Playing company in the San Francisco Bay Area.[2] She was Dead Earth's Lead Writer from 1989 to 1996.

Alexander entered the world of online game writing in 1994, when she became World Designer and In-World Storyteller for Fujitsu America's WorldsAway project, one of the first graphical virtual worlds. Working under Randy Farmer, she created the history, mythology, and cohesive storyline for the Dreamscape.[4]

In 1997, Alexander began a film mentorship under Clive Barker and moved to Los Angeles.[5][6] Her screenplays were subsequently quarterfinalists for the Austin Film Festival in 1998 and 1999,[7] and the Nicholl Fellowship in 1999.[7][8]

In 2000, Alexander turned to short stories and poetry. Her work has appeared in Paradox Magazine, Chiaroscuro Magazine, Gothic.net, and assorted anthologies, and has been nominated for multiple awards.[9][10] She has also published numerous nonfiction articles,[11] including essays on Douglas Adams[12] and George R.R. Martin.[13]

In 2014, Alexander's debut novel, Mr. Wicker, won the 2014 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel,.[14] Her next book, a young adult novel entitled Snowed, won the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel[15] and was nominated for the 2017 Anthony Award for Best Children's/YA Novel.[16] Snowbound, the sequel to Snowed and the second book in a planned trilogy, was published in September 2018.[17]

Alexander lives in Los Angeles,[18] California, where, in addition to writing, she pursues her passion of sword fighting. She has studied Shinkendo, tameshigiri, stage combat, and the European small sword,[19] and appeared in a special issue of Katsujinken Magazine entitled "Women of the Sword Arts."[11] She has also written articles criticizing unrealistic portrayals of sword handling in art, fiction, and film, which has led to some controversy.[20][21]

Alexander's hands have become temporarily disabled at times, but she has been able to continue to write using speech recognition technology.[22][23]

• Official website