pursuing that passion ever since. I graduated from Niles High in 1970 (goVikings!) and went on to study for teaching certification at Western Michigan University (go Broncos!). I graduated from WMU in 1973 with an English Major/Creative Writing Emphasis and an Elementary Education minor. I am currently certified in both Australia and the U.S. to teach primary school, all subjects, and secondary/tertiary English.
Hello! My name is Maureen McMahon. For those of you who don't know me, here's the lowdown:
I was born in 1952 in Niles, Michigan. I discovered
early in my youth a passion for writing and have been
In search of my roots, I came to Australia in 1981 where I met and married my adorable husband, Peter, who is the love of my life.
We have two teenaged children, James and KatyAnne, both of whom are wonderful supporters of my work and who make me very proud to be their mother.
As to my writing credentials, I have published arrticles, short stories and/or poetry in such publications as Signature, Australian Runner, Australian Woman's Day, The Network, Futures and five anthologies.
My novel, Shadows In The Mist, a romantic mystery/suspense will be coming June 19, 2008 from Cerridwen Press.
My anthology of short fiction A Nightingale In The Sycamore, has been released from DiskUs Publishing in print as well as electronic format. You can purchase a copy from Diskus Publishing, bookstores or via my order page.
My novel, Return Of The Gulls, a ghostly mystery set in an old Irish castle, is now available from Hard Shell Word Factory in both electronic format and trade paperback. For an excerpt, click here. You can purchase a copy from Hard Shell Word Factory, bookstores or via my order page.
A sequel to Return of the Gulls, Ghosts of Auld Lang Syne, is included in an anthology of 6 novellas, Enchanted Holidays. Peter Mansfield and Stacey Christian face another mystery that leads to danger, ghostly encounters and intrigue. Read about it here. You can purchase a copy from Cerridwen Press or via my order page.
Another independent sequel to Return of the Gulls, a paranormal mystery set in an old New England home, is included in an anthology entitled One Touch Beyond. The title of my piece is Ghosts of Auld Lang Syne and includes romance, mystery and ghostly occurences. You can read about it here. You can purchase a copy from Cerridwen Press, or via my order page.
I also write under the pseudonym, Ainsley Abbott. Books under this name are erotic romance and rated 18+. You can check these out by visiting Ainsley's Books We Love author page, here.
I also have an historical romance, The Sea, The South, The Storm, currently being considered as well as a creative writing technical manual. My current project is a series set during the Civil War.
I worked as a staff writer for Australian Runner for three years, have taught creative writing to children and adults at various schools and educational centers in Australia and in the U.S. I teach for Writer's Online Workshops, the online school for Writer's Digest Magazine, altho at the moment I'm taking leave to work on a series of romances. I keep a current schedule of classes I'm teaching listed on the main page of this site for anyone who's interested.
I am assistant moderator of ANZ Authors. After forming and directing The Electronically Published Professionals (EPPRO) for a number of years, I turned to book promotion and now co-direct Books We Love.
In 2001 I was honored by Western Michigan University as one of eleven Notable Alumni for my writing achievements and featured in the WMU Foundation Calendar.
When not writing or teaching, I distribute my time between my husband, my two grown children, my black labrador, four cats and a too often neglected paddock of proteas. For relaxation I enjoy fishing, reading, crosswords with my husband, travel and playing the occasional competitive game of Nintendo with my children or their partners (they hate it when I win!).
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Check out what's happening in the world of creative writing at my News and Events page, or read some articles and see what published authors have to say on my Support and Inspiration page.
