Kate Rizor began writing books when she was 12, mysteries that she still pulls out for a good laugh. Raised in Richland, Michigan, the youngest of seven, she attended Gull Lake Community Schools. During high school, she applied and was accepted to attend the Summer Institute of the Arts, a state-funded creative arts program. She attended the two-week program at Olivet College, where, surrounded by other students with similar interests and backgrounds, she started taking writing more seriously. After graduation, she attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College to pursue journalism. She attended a motivational seminar that fall about pursuing your dreams. She left the seminar, determined to get a head-start on her writing career. The next day, she called the Kalamazoo Gazette and learned that a part-time job was opening up in the newsroom. She applied and was hired to edit press releases for publication. Between work and school, she wrote novels during nights and weekends and submitted work to literary agents and publishing houses. Rejections poured in and homework piled up so she put her writing on hold after transferring to Western Michigan University. For four years, she worked her way up at the Gazette as a reporter and copy editor. She also began freelancing for national magazines and smaller markets like Writer Online, The Writer’s Gazette, and Novel Advice. During this time, she married her husband, Steve, and found work as a technical writer but was bored writing about machinery and processes. She transferred to a different department where she worked as a trainer. She used this experience to conduct writing seminars. And nearly a year later her first acceptance letter came in! She is currently working on her next novel and conducts writing seminars and workshops in her spare time.
