Black Leather

Elizabeth Engstrom

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 Eugene, Oregon in 1986, where she lives with her husband Al Cratty, the legendary muskie fisherman, and their Duck Tolling Retriever, Jook . Liz holds a BA in English Literature and Writing from Marylhurst University and is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Applied Theology. A recluse at heart, she still emerges into public occasionally to teach a class in novel writing, short story writing (especially ghost story writing) and riotous erotic writing workshops for women.

Published Books

	THE NORTHWOODS CHRONICLES - Available everywhere September 10!
	BLACK LEATHER - A dark, erotic thriller.
	SUSPICIONS - Twenty-five handpicked stories from Engstrom's archives. The darkest. The weirdest. The sexiest. Her favorites.
	LIZARD WINE - A thriller of the most dangerous kind.
	WORD BY WORD - An Inspirational Look at the Craft of Writing. by John Tullius, Elizabeth Engstrom and the presenters of the Maui Writers Conference.

	WHEN DARKNESS LOVES US - Two very weird short novels.
	BLACK AMBROSIA - Teenage girls are such trouble, aren't they?
	LIZZIE BORDEN - An imaginative recreation of that happy family affair.
	THE ALCHEMY OF LOVE - A collaborative endeavor. Very few copies left.
	NIGHTMARE FLOWER - A collection of short fiction.
	IMAGINATION FULLY DILATED - The Literated Works of Alan M. Clark. Edited by Elizabeth Engstrom and Alan M. Clark
	IMAGINATION FULLY DILATED, VOL. 2 - Ditto the above times two - Edited by Elizabeth Engstrom
	DEAD on DEMAND The Best of Ghost Story Weekend - An anthology of ghost stories from the participants in Liz's renown annual ghost story workshop. Edited by Elizabeth Engstrom
	MOTA 9: Addiction - An anthology of fine fiction. Coming in 2009. Edited by Elizabeth Engstrom

Want to read something really weird? Here's "The Bog Pole," an odd dark fantasy short story from Liz's new book, The Northwoods Chronicles. For your private enjoyment only; please honor all copyright laws.

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

Want to take a writing class?

Elizabeth Engstrom Seminars offers:

SOLID FICTION, a 6-evening intensive novel writing class. Spend two very intensive weeks finally working on that novel you're itching to write.
SENSUAL FICTION, a 2-evening workshop for women. Spend two evenings laughing and learning to write a well-crafted sex scene.
STRUCTURAL FICTION, a moderated, educational, in-depth discussion on the 3-act structure of successful fiction.

THE ARCHITECTURE OF FICTION, an all-day, jam-packed session
KICK START YOUR NOVEL, a series of four classes is an intensive, hands-on novel writing workshop designed to get your novel going in the right direction.

AND... the famed GHOST STORY WEEKENDS on the spooky Oregon coast.

E-mail for more information, to put yourself on the seminar mailing list, OR to arrange a seminar in your area.

Three of her most popular lectures are now available on CD and audio tape!

You can find some of Engstrom's shorter work in:

	LOVE IN VEIN - ("Elixir," a short story), edited by Poppy Z. Brite, HarperCollins
	ONCE UPON A CRIME - ("Harvest Home," a short story), edited by Ed Gorman, Berkley Books (Hey, this story earned Liz a mention in both People Magazine and USA Today!)
	100 FIENDISH LITTLE FRIGHTMARES - ("Grandma's Hobby" and "Empty Walls", both short stories), edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz and Robert Weinberg, Barnes & Noble Books
	100 TWISTED TALES OF TORMENT - ("The Final Tale," a short story), edited by Robert Weinberg and Stefan Dziemianowicz, Barnes & Noble Books
	IMAGINATION FULLY DILATED, VOL. 2 - ("Gemphalon," a short story), IFD Publishing

	THE 13th ANNUAL YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR ("Crosley," a short story), edited by Ellen Datlow
	CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE WRITER'S SOUL ("It Doesn't Matter What You Write," an essay), edited by Bud Gardner, Jack Canfield, and Mark Victor Hansen

	OCTOBER DREAMS ("A Moonlit Night with Rats," an essay) October, 2000 - and again, October, 2002
	THE 14th ANNUAL YEAR'S BEST FANTASY AND HORROR ("Riding the Black Horse," a short story), edited by Ellen Datlow.
	CEMETERY DANCE ("Genetically Predisposed," a short story) March, 2002
	STRONG CURRENTS ("Cold Feet, Hot Cheeks" an erotic short story) September, 2002
	CEMETERY DANCE ("First Date," a short story) August, 2003
	WRITERS NW ("One Legendary Evening," an essay) Spring, 2004
	DARK DISCOVERIES ("One Quiet Evening in the Wax Museum," a short story, an Interview, and Bibliography) February, 2004
	SHIP'S LOG: Writings at Sea (Introduction), edited by John Tullius, September, 2004
	CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE FRIEND'S SOUL ("It's Never Too Late to Say Hello," an essay) edited by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Stefanie Adrian, Mark & Chrissy Donnelly - October, 2004
	POE'S LIGHTHOUSE ("Deep Into the Darkness Peering," a short story) edited by Chris Conlon, CD Publications, 2006
	OUTSIDERS ("Honing Sebastian," a short story) edited by Nancy Kilpatrick and Nancy Holder, ROC, 2005
	CHRYSALIS ("Dancing at Midnight," an essay) - Winter, 2006
	Court TV - Crimelibrary.com ("The Trials of Christian Longo," an article) - August, 2005
	Court TV - Crimelibrary.com ("Russell Obremski: A Killer's Luck," an article) September, 2005
	GHOSTS AT THE COAST ("Reclining Years," a short story) edited by Dianna Rodgers, TripleTree Publishing, 2005
	Court TV - Crimelibrary.com ("Joel Patrick Courtney: A Horrifying Progression of Sex Offenses," an article) January, 2006
	Court TV - Crimelibrary.com ("Patrick W. Kearney and David Douglas Hill: The Trash Bag Murderers," an article) February, 2006
	STRONG CURRENTS II ("In a Darkened Compartment" an erotic short story), 2006
	Court TV - Crimelibrary.com ("Jeremy Bryan Jones: Meth Monster," an article) March, 2006
	Court TV - Crimelibrary.com ("Robert Spangler: One Dead Wife Too Many," an article) May, 2006
	Investigating CSI ("The Majesty of Maggots," an essay), edited by Leah Wilson SmartPop Books, 2006
	Lies and Limericks (Introduction) edited by John Tullius, October, 2006
	Northwest Horrors ("Unrequited Loss" a short story) edited by James Beach and Jonathan Reitlan
	Dark Discoveries ("Anything" a short story), March, 2007
	Unity Magazine ("Dancing at Midnight," an essay) October, 2007
	Two of the Deadliest ("Playing Powerball," a short story) edited by Elizabeth George, HarperCollins, 2008

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.

Liz's Recent Favorite Reads:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood

The Devil's Labyrinth by John Saul

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

In the Dark of the Night by John Saul

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

March by Geraldine Brooks

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

Blue Latitudes by Tony Horwitz

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks