Bio

Ken Scholes is a speculative fiction writer...among other things.

Ken grew up "redneck" in a double-wide trailer outside a logging town near the base of Mt. Rainier in Washington State. In the first grade, Ken was stapling together pages of self-illustrated prose ("Dinosaurs are cool. They are big, too.") Ken soon fell into speculative fiction (Jack Williamson's Trapped in Space) and has wanted to be a writer ever since. After reading Ray Bradbury's essay "How to Keep and Feed a Muse" in high school, he started crafting short stories of his own. With English teachers, guest authors, and even a couple of letters from Bradbury himself spurring him on, Ken started submitting his work for publication at the age of fifteen.

After an unfortunate event involving feral llamas and tapioca pudding, Ken put away his typewriter to pursue other interests. Like many writers before him, he worked a number of jobs. After being a sailor, soldier, clergyman, and label-gun repairman, he eventually landed in nonprofit management. After eleven years as an Executive Director, Ken recently moved into public procurement for a government agency. He has a degree in History from Western Washington University.

In 1997, Ken returned to writing and submitting speculative fiction. In 1998, Ken found himself in a writing class taught by Patrick and Honna Swenson (of Talebones fame) and shortly after, Ken made his first short fiction sale. More sales followed.

In 2001, his short story "Edward Bear and the Very Long Walk" picked up scattered award recommendations and honorable mentions, including honorable mention in Gardner Dozois's Years Best Science Fiction.

Ken won the Writers of the Future contest in 2004. "Into the Blank Where Life is Hurled," a tribute to writer William Hope Hodgson and showman Harry Houdini, appears in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume XXI.

Ken has attended various local conventions as a guest professional since 2000, assisting with programing and writers workshops. For 2006, he plans to attend Orycon, Norwescon and Radcon. He is also a member of the Codex online writers group and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He invites his readers to visit his website at http://www.sff.net/people/kenscholes.

Ken lives near Portland, Oregon, with his wife (the indomitably lovely Jen West Scholes), two rather large and worthless cats who do not talk or appear in his fiction, five guitars and more books than you would ever want to help him move on a rainy Saturday.

Contrary to popular belief, he does not live in a trailer.

Bibliography

Published/Upcoming

Short Story, “There Once Was a Girl From Nantucket (A Fortean Love Story)”, Fortean Bureau, with John A. Pitts (Mar 2006)

Short Story, “East of Eden and Just a Bit South (Being a True and Accurate Account of How Cain Found Himself A Wife)”, Aeon Speculative Fiction No. 6 (Feb 2006)

Short Story, “Four Clowns of the Apocalypse and the Mecca of Mirth” in 44 Clowns, forthcoming. Scorpius Digital Press (2006)

Short Story, “On the Settling of Ancient Scores”, Son & Foe No. 1 (Jan 2006)

Short Story, “Action Team-Ups Number Thirty-Seven”, Shimmer No. 2 (Jan 2006)

Short Story, “That When I Waked I Cried to Dream Again”, Insidious Reflections No. 5 (Jan 2006)

Short Story, “Of Metal Men and Scarlet Thread and Dancing with the Sunrise”, Realms Of Fantasy, forthcoming (2006)

Short Story, “The Santaman Cycle” in TEL:Stories. Wheatland Press (Nov 2005)

Short Story, “Into the Blank Where Life is Hurled” in Writers of the Future 20. Galaxy Press (Sep 2005)

Short Story, “A Good Hair Day in Anarchy”, Lone Star Stories No. 9 (Jun 2005)

Short Story, “The Man With Great Despair Behind His Eyes”, Talebones No. 31 (Winter 2005)

Short Story, “So Sang the Girl Who Had No Name”, Fortean Bureau (Dec 2004)

Short Story, “Fearsome Jones' Discarded Love Collection”, Fortean Bureau (Jul 2004)

Short Story, “Edward Bear and the Very Long Walk” in Best of the Rest 3: Best Unknown Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2001. Suddenly Press (2002)

Short Story, “Edward Bear and the Very Long Walk”, Talebones No. 22 (Spring 2001)

Short Story, “So Sang the Girl Who Had No Name”, Twilight Showcase (2001)

Short Story, “The Taking Night”, Talebones No. 19 (Winter 2000)