Readings, classes, and on-line discussion about the history, trends, and techniques of genre fiction add depth to the student's experience. Established authors mentor students one-on-one as they work toward completing a market-ready manuscript from home. Students attend two week-long, on-campus residencies each year to master the core elements of fiction writing and effective marketing and to gain inspiration from faculty mentors and special guests, all published authors in genre fiction. Additional specialties include literature for children and adolescents, and cross-genre blends like romantic suspense or young adult mysteries. Seton Hill University's unique Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction teaches students to write marketable novels in popular genres like mystery, romance, science fiction, horror, and fantasy. She is the bi-monthly 'Fiction' columnist for Writer's Digest magazine. She has won three Nebulas: in 1985 for 'Out Of All Them Bright Stars,” in 1991 for the novella version of 'Beggars In Spain' (which also won a Hugo), and in 1998 for “The Flowers of Aulit Prison.” She is perhaps best known for the “Sleepless” trilogy that began with “Beggars in Spain.” The novel was based on a Nebula- and Hugo-winning novella of the same name the series continued with “Beggars and Choosers” and “Beggars Ride.” The trilogy explores questions of genetic engineering, social structure, and what society's “haves” owe its “have-nots.” Kress' most recent books are “Crossfire,” “Crucible,” and “Characters, Emotion, And Viewpoint.” Kress' work has been translated into Swedish, Greek, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Croatian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Japanese, and Russian. Nancy Kress is the author of 23 books: three fantasy novels, 11 SF novels, two thrillers, three collections of short stories, one YA novel, and three books on writing fiction. The event is free and open to the public. Kress' presentation, “The Story Behind the Story, “ will take place in Cecilian Hall, with a book signing to follow. Seton Hill University's Writing Popular Fiction master's program welcomes Hugo and Nebula award-winning author Nancy Kress to campus on Saturday, June 25 at 7 p.m.

Crossfire by Nancy Kress