Archive for October, 2011
My consistent readers,
I recently wrote a detailed bio for one of my publishers.
I thought I would share it with you.
Walt
WALT TRIZNA
BIO
I now live in West Chester, Pennsylvania, but I was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey – a tough town. My mother was an avid reader and I picked up the habit. Sitting on the back porch with book in hand was better than venturing into the city and being beat-up. I learned this the hard way.
I obtained my bachelors degree in biochemistry from Oklahoma State University in 1969, and five days later reported for pilot training in Alabama. I always wanted to learn to fly, and did, but I hit a brick wall when it came to jets and washed out. At one point my instructor said, “Trizna, your landings scare me.” If he only knew how much they scared me. I then went to something where the landings weren’t important, just the accuracy. After a great deal of training, I became the crew commander of a Titan II ICBM. While stationed in Wichita, I earned a masters degree in biology from Wichita State University.
After my four-year military career was completed, I went into research. Renal physiology was the area in which I worked. I was employed by three medical schools and at the last, UCLA School of Medicine; I met my wife, Joni. With grants drying up, I found a job in industry and would work for a company for 22 years that would eventually become GlaxoSmithKline.
After a layoff at the age of 61, I decided to become a full-time writer. I had written science fiction and horror while still working, and now I could concentrate on my passion. When writing science fiction, I enjoy adding a healthy dose of science fact to give the story a hint of believability.
Joni and I have two daughters. Annie works at an independent book store and Lynn is a farmer. We love them both and encourage them to explore life wherever it may lead.
October 20, 2011 at 6:18 pm
I pose a question to those who share the invasion of stink bugs.
I was camping with my wife, Joni, a few days ago and was bombarded by the pests.
One landed in by beard, I swatted it, and carried its smell.
This set me thinking about Albert Schweitzer. He had a deep reverence for life; would step around an ant.
My question is, would Albert Schweitzer step on a stink bug?
October 12, 2011 at 5:20 pm
My consistent readers,
Here is my poem, Dragon Eggs, just published by Bewildering Stories.
It’s a children’s poem. I stepped out of character on this one.
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue450/dragon_eggs.html
October 11, 2011 at 3:29 pm
My consistent readers,
Here is another opportunity for you to savor my writing, along with stories by my fellow Mélange Book authors.
Just released is a Halloween anthology, Spellbound 2011. My story, The Mansion of Nightmares, was inspired by a mansion which exists less then a mile from here.
You can go to Mélange
Books to order either a print or eBook copy.
I’m including links if you are interested in making a purchase.
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/anthologies/Spellbound2011.html
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/walttrizna.html
October 6, 2011 at 7:03 pm
Recently, a Mélange Books author asked questions of the authors with stories published in the anthology Curious Hearts. My question was, ‘Name the most famous person you had a face to face encounter with’. I thought I would share my response with you.
I pondered those considered ‘famous’ that I have met, and I came to a conclusion. Fame is relative. In some circles, a name wins instant recognition. In other circles, the same name would bring the response, “Who?”
For example, during my research career, while working at three medical schools, studying renal physiology I met many world famous nephrologists and scientists. However, unless you were familiar with the area, their names would be meaningless.
I volunteer at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum and work at their annual air show. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to shake hand with Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
I also met Robert Morgan, the pilot of the Memphis Belle one of the most famous bombers of World War II. But to the younger generation, these names might be meaningless.
Our local bookstore, The Chester County Book & Music Company, where I had a book signing for my novel, New Moon Rising, hosts many authors. There I met Jane Smiley, but if you’re not a reader that name will bring no recognition.
For seven years I lived in West Los Angeles while working at the UCLA School of Medicine. In that area of Los Angeles, you are constantly stumbling over celebrities.
One evening, while walking back from dinner with my wife and two friends, this literally occurred. It was in the early 1980’s, and as we walked home from dinner at a local restaurant, we walked past an eatery that was an expensive establishment. There, standing on the sidewalk all alone was a short old man smoking an immense cigar. We had just walked by George Burns.
My most memorable encounter occurred around 1980. I was single then and lived next to a very mysterious woman. She would leave Los Angeles for extended periods of time and ask me to pay her bills. The strange thing was; her return date was open-ended.
One summer Saturday afternoon, after a morning of fishing at Malibu Pier, she knocked at my door and asked for a ride. Clothed in an old sleeveless sweatshirt, I said sure. I loaded my neighbor and her luggage into my VW beetle. Following her directions, I soon found myself in the hills north of Sunset Blvd with my bug passing past mansions.
We pulled into a circular drive, announce our presence, and were met by servants. I brought my neighbor’s suitcase in, and while standing in the foyer, she came in. Wearing a bathrobe and a towel around her hair, strode Peggy Lee. My neighbor was going to be her companion while she was doing a show in New York.
Those are the famous people I have met, and as time marches on, their names fade into the past, to be replaced by those who now bask in glory, but will all too soon fade into the past themselves.
Walt Trizna
October 3, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Walttriznastories's Blog 