GRIHM, Amanda 1952-

PERSONAL: Born July 3, 1952, in Youngstown, OH; daughter of Esse Brown and Sara Williams Nadall; married Bernard Rowans, June, 1990 (divorced); married J. Emil (a network engineer), September 23, 1994. Education: Whiting College, B.S. (communications), 1978; University of Phoenix, B.S. (marketing), 2003. Politics: "Democrat 55 percent, Republican 45 percent." Religion: "Non-denominational Christian." Hobbies and other interests: Writing short stories and plays.

ADDRESSES: Office—Project Match, Inc., 5502 Peachtree Rd., Ste. 207-A, Chamblee, GA 30341. E-mail—agrihm34@attbi.com.

CAREER: JAG Enterprise, Stone Mountain, GA, consultant, 2000-02; Project Match, Chamblee, GA, executive director. Member, board of directors, One-Church, One-Child, 2002.

MEMBER: International Executive Guild, American Association of University Women, International Society of Poets.

AWARDS, HONORS: Positive Image Award, Institute of the Christian World, 1994, for community service; named among People Who Make a Difference, WAOK/WVEE Radio, 1995; Community Partners Award, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, 1998; Editor's Choice designation, Poetry.com/International Library of Poetry, 2002, for poem "For Those Who Judge the Homeless."

WRITINGS:

The Wolf (e-book), Iuniverse, 2002.

The Dark-skinned Sister (e-book), Iuniverse, 2003.

Dark Justice (e-book), Iuniverse, 2003.

Contributor of essays to www.yourpersonalstory.com.

SIDELIGHTS: Amanda Grihm told CA: "I am motivated by some very unusual events that took place in my life and that nobody wants to talk about. I am not a mystic or a fortune-teller, but I have had some experiences that border on the line of being mystic and telekinetic.

"I am a visual writer. By that I mean that I see everything that I write about. If I'm writing about a woman, I see her in front of me as I write. I am an empathetic writer who feels everything that I write about. If I write about being struck by an object, I feel the impact of that blow. And when I write about particular feelings and emotions, I experience those feelings and emotions.

"I enjoy writing coming-of-age and female-overcomer stories. I believe in the healing power of hard work. I am a community activist for homeless, senior, and disabled citizens. I also believe that these people are the solution to each other's problems. I believe in helping people who need people help each other!

"For many years I wrote business processes and procedures and technical training manuals for two large corporations, which was tedious and dull. I am a creative spirit; the universe responds to my creativity. Now I write at the drop of a hat and I love to laugh, so I write to make myself laugh. I enjoy a good cry every now and then so I write emotional tear-jerkers that allow me to feel the pain and sadness that go on in life. Writing is my passion. I wrote personal short stories for individuals without ever experiencing writer's block or growing bored with writing. I write because I love the art of writing. I sit down in front of a computer, and the rest is history!"