Julie Ann Dawson

Julie Ann Dawson (born August 2 1971), is an American horror fiction writer, RPG designer, and publisher.

Dawson was born in Millville, New Jersey. She graduated from Bridgeton High School in Bridgeton, New Jersey in 1989. While attending high school, she came across a copy of Stephen King's novel Salem's Lot. The book inspired Dawson to become a writer. She became involved with her high school newspaper, and later worked for both the newspaper and college magazine at Glassboro State College (later renamed Rowan University). [http://www.oncewritten.com/MeetTheAuthorEssay.php?AID=JulieAnnDawson]

Besides writing, Dawson also studied public relations and marketing in college. While still in college, Dawson began publishing stories and poems with a variety of publications, including "Gareth Blackmore's Unusual Tales", "Happiness Magazine", "Lucidity", "Black Bough", and "The New Jersey Review of Literature". She graduated from college in 1993.

Upon graduation, Dawson continued publishing by working briefly as a freelance writer for the Vineland Journal. Embracing the growing electronic market, she also published works with "Demonground" [http://www.demonground.org/] , poetrymagazine.com [http://www.poetrymagazine.com/] , "Sabledrake Magazine", "RPG Times", and others. She also joined the International Women's Writing Guild (IWWG), and not long after joining became a regional representative for the non-profit organization [http://www.iwwg.org/index.php?section=regional] . Dawson is also a member of the non-profit Speculative Literature Foundation. [http://www.speculativeliterature.org/About/memberslist.php]

In 2002, Dawson launched Bards and Sages [http://www.bardsandsages.com] , a small press to promote her own projects and to offer resources for young writers. The company’s first project was a writing contest to benefit the IWWG.

Bards and Sages released its first book in January 2005, Dawson’s own collection of horror stories and poems entitled "September and Other Stories" (ISBN 1-4116-1922-6). The book was well-received by reviewers, and was named a 2005 "Recommended Read" by the Online Review of Books and Current Affairs [http://www.onlinereviewofbooks.com/] . In March, 2005, she released the company’s first RPG, "Neiyar: Land of Heaven and the Abyss" (ISBN 1-4116-2534-X). The book, employing the d20 system licensed by Wizards of the Coast, is set on an isolated jungle island ruled over by female priestesses. Dawson is one of the few women in the industry to actually write and design an entire campaign setting. [http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/theory/gender/womenauthors.html]

Besides publishing a wide variety of electronic content, Dawson's company has an expanding catalog of print books. The first, "Bardic Tales and Sage Advice", was released in February 2006 and features the winners of the company's annual writing contest(ISBN 1-4116-6029-3). The Koboldnomicon, a compilation of d20 gaming material involving kobolds, was released in July 2006. (ISBN 1-84728-898-7) "Dead Men (and Women) Walking", an anthology of the undead, was released in September 2006.

Other Resources

* [http://www.oncewritten.com/MeetTheAuthorEssay.php?AID=JulieAnnDawson Once Written.com] [http://www.darkshire.net/~jhkim/rpg/theory/gender/womenauthors.html Notable Women RPG Authors]
* [http://www.pcpro.co.uk/shopper/features/115749/publish-a-book-online/page2.html Computer Shopper.com]
* [http://www.gloomwing.com/reviewers/jadawson.php Gloomwing.com]
* [http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=7651 Pen & Paper]
* [http://www.selfpublishernews.com/uploads/SelfPublisherNewsAugust05.pdf Self-Publisher News]
* [http://www.publishersnewswire.com/news/2005-05-0527-001.shtml Publisher's Newswire]
* [http://www.mortality.net/article.php?sid=3823 Mortality.net]
* [http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/_generate/authors-D.html A Celebration of Women Writers] [http://www.undergroundwho.com/Julie%20Ann%20Dawson.htm Underground Who]
* [http://www.bardsandsages.com Bards and Sages]