Welch, Michelle M. 1971–

PERSONAL: Born July 12, 1971, in Tucson, AZ; daughter of Roger and Chestine Welch. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Arizona State University, B.A., 1995; University of Arizona, M.A., 1997.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Christine Cohen, Virginia Kidd Agency, 538 E. Hartford St., P.O. Box 278, Milford, PA 18337. E-mail—madwrtr@netzero.net.

CAREER: Writer. Maricopa County Library District, Phoeniz, AZ, library assistant and librarian, 1994–2000; Chandler Public Library, AZ, reference librarian, 2000–.

MEMBER: Arizona Library Association, Society for Creative Anachronism.

WRITINGS:

FANTASY NOVELS

Confidence Game, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2003.

The Bright and the Dark, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Chasing Fire, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor of short story "Charon" to Reader's Break, Pine Grove Press (Jamesville, NY), 1995.

SIDELIGHTS: Michelle M. Welch told CA: "When asked how long I've been writing, I usually say 'since they put the fat pencil in my hand in kindergarten.' I started writing stories then and never stopped. Publication seemed like the next logical step in the process, and I began marketing my short stories in the early 1990s, until I distracted myself by starting to write novels. While my short stories tend to have an element of unreality to them and can best be described as magic realism, my novels have always been strictly fantasy.

"As a fantasy writer, I've always been conscious of how the genre is perceived, both in the literary world and by some science fiction readers who deride fantasy as unrealistic and trivial. My background in English literature has given me a particular attitude toward the fantasy genre, a belief in its strength as allegory and its ability to communicate truths about the human condition that might be taken for granted if presented in a more mainstream fashion. In my novels I am less concerned with presenting conventional fantasy elements such as magic than with portraying how these elements affect the characters."