The Fun Bio
With a sword swallower as a father and a closet chanteuse for a mother, how could I not become a writer?
I’ve wandered through the moors of Yorkshire, bicycled beside rice paddies in Japan, stalked kangaroos in Australia, and ridden elephants in Thailand. I’ve written about all of these experiences for magazines and media such as HuffPost The Huffington Post), Prevue, California Meetings + Events, Incentive, Greer’s OC, Examiner.com, Riverside Press-Enterprise, and my personal blog.
When not traveling to find true stories about the places I go and the people I meet, I write lies. Fiction, actually. My current work in progress is a novel called Whispering Nights, the story of three women of diverse background meeting secretly to read a scandalous new novel called Wuthering Heights by an unknown author named Ellis Bell.
My interest in the Bronte sisters led to Blue River Press offering me the opportunity to write a middle-grade biography of these remarkable authors, ALL ABOUT THE BRONTE SISTERS (October 2020).
Across the years I’ve been assistant editor of a national music magazine (CCM), written magazine cover features, personality profiles, music reviews and food features. I’ve had short fiction published in MetroMoms Fiction, The Rose & Thorn (Spring, 2007) and Breath & Shadow (October 2007). I currently offer website design, copywriting, and graphic art services to a select group of clients.
I love to write about the faces, places and traces of life found throughout the earth. Historical, cultural and gastronomic travel with a strong sense of identity excites me. Every destination is a stage where the people are the stars.
For 11 years I hosted the weekly #LitChat session through Twitter. I started #LitChat in 2009 when Twitter was new and everyone was eager to connect through this new medium. The #LitChat sessions took off beyond my wildest imagination and soon I was hosting such literary luminaries as Margaret Atwood, Mitch Albom, Sarah Gruen, Susan Orlean as well as hundreds of other emerging and debut authors. I turned #LitChat over to a new moderator in April 2020.
I would like to list prestigious universities attended and degrees earned, but I restrict my fiction to made-up people.
A mother of two young, married adults, and grandmother of two precocious toddlers, I currently live in North Carolina with my husband, David, and our beloved rescue dog, Buck.
The Short Version
A longtime journalist for entertainment, travel and lifestyle media, Carolyn has been published in glossy monthlies, daily newspapers and online media, including blogged HuffPost. She’s had short fiction published in The Rose & Thorn, Breath & Shadow, and MetroFiction ezines. As a finalist for the 2013 Eric Hoffer Award, her short story “Sketches Past and Present” appears in the anthology, Best New Writing 2013. She is currently working on a novel entitled, Whispering Nights. From 2009 to 2020 she hosted the popular #LitChat discussion through Twitter, bringing together readers, writers and publishing professionals together for weekly chats about books. She would like to list prestigious colleges attended and degrees earned, but she restricts her fiction to made-up people.
Follow Carolyn on Twitter at @CarolyBurnsBass, swing by her blog at www.carolynburnsbass.com/blog, and visit her website at www.CarolynBurnsBass.com.
I kissed a frog in 1967, but his transformation to a prince didn’t happen until 1986.
Like most children, I dreamed of traveling to far-away lands where I would meet interesting people, thrill through exciting adventures, experience exotic cultures, and taste yummy new foods. I never dreamed I would be paid for all of this–well, most of it anyway. Click here and you’ll see a list of just a few of the travel pieces I’ve had published through the years.
With COVID-19 mostly behind us I’ve already laid out plans to take my fully vaccinated self on several far-away outings. With SpaceX a reality, it’s no exaggeration to say travel is limitless.
