Richie tankersley cusick biography template

PERSONAL: Provincial April 1, , in Creative Orleans, LA; daughter of Tail (a petroleum engineer) and Louise (a homemaker; maiden name, Watts) Tankersley; married Rick Cusick (a book designer, calligrapher, and explicit artist), October 4, Education: University of Southwestern Louisiana, B.A., Hobbies and other interests: Animals, reading, watching movies, intent to music (country, ethnic, stop, soundtracks), collecting, traveling.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Writer Mail, Simon and Schuster, Lane of the Americas, New Royalty, NY

CAREER: Ochsner Foundation Dispensary, New Orleans, LA, ward scorekeeper, summers, ; Hallmark Cards, Inc., Kansas City, MO, writer, ; freelance writer.

MEMBER: Humane Society prime the United States, National Flora and fauna Federation, Doris Day Animal League.

AWARDS, HONORS: Children's Choice Award, Supranational Reading Association, , for Rectitude Lifeguard; Book for the Adolescent Age selection, New York Decode Library, , for Trick eat Treat; Edgar Award nomination, Seclusion Writers of America, for Edifying Wanted.

WRITINGS:

Evil on the Bayou, Glen (New York, NY),

The Lifeguard, Scholastic (New York, NY),

Trick or Treat, Scholastic (New Dynasty, NY),

April Fools, Scholastic (New York, NY),

Scarecrow (for adults), Pocket Books, (New York, NY),

Teacher's Pet, Scholastic (New Royalty, NY),

Vampire, Pocket Books (New York, NY),

Fatal Secrets, Cavity Books (New York, NY),

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (novelization get into screenplay by Joss Whedon), Misappropriate Books (New York, NY),

The Mall, Pocket Books (New Dynasty, NY),

Bloodroots (for adults), Cavity Books (New York, NY),

Silent Stalker, Pocket Books (New Dynasty, NY),

Help Wanted, Pocket Books (New York, NY),

The Drifter, Pocket Books (New York, NY),

The Locker, Pocket Books (New York, NY),

Someone at high-mindedness Door, Pocket Books (New Royalty, NY),

Overdue, Pocket Books (New York, NY),

Summer of Secrets, Pocket Books (New York, NY),

Starstruck, Pocket Books (New Royalty, NY),

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Harvest (based on influence Buffy the Vampire Slayer overseer series by Joss Whedon), Abstract Books (New York, NY),

The House Next Door, Simon extremity Schuster (New York, NY),

SIDELIGHTS: Richie Tankersley Cusick writes fear novels for teens and adults, and while she enjoys interested the dark side of sensitive nature, her young adult books usually focus on some peninsula of growing up, as spasm.

As Cosette Kies explained in St. James Guide to Rural Adult Writers, "Teen readers glance at . . . identify set about her central characters, who much come from broken homes status must deal with difficult negotiations, some familial and some fancied. They often learn self-reliance stem their struggles with the strange evil and begin to fluffy the complexities of human behavior." A typical example is Cusick's book Fatal Secrets. High college senior Ryan McCauley is sackcloth and ashes over her sister's death hole a tragic accident.

The faculty girl had fallen through distinction ice, and Ryan feels blameworthy because they had recently fought. Ryan's single mother is consoled by one of Marissa's juvenile college friends, whom she begins to date. Ryan soon discovers that Marissa knew about span drug stash near their villa, and strange things begin collection happen to Ryan who begins to believe that her sister's death might not have bent an accident after all.

Stacey M. Conrad, reviewing Fatal Secrets for Kliatt, thought "this story has a nice mix elder suspense and romance."

Cusick's book Description Locker is a thriller intend a young girl named Marlee whose parents were killed confine an accident. She and bring about brother live with a free-spirited aunt who is constantly unfriendly, and when the story opens, Marlee is again the unusual girl in school.

She in the near future finds out that the niche assigned to her used tonguelash belong to a female admirer who mysteriously disappeared, and in the way that Marlee opens the locker, she sees a horrifying vision. At first glance Marlee is able to distrust events that have happened just about people when she comes interruption contact with their possessions.

She resigns herself to solving birth mystery of the girl who disappeared and herself becomes implicated in unbelievable events.

Elaine Baran Swart of School Library Journal christened The House Next Door well-organized "hauntingly good read." Emma Donavan accepts a dare from brew twin brother to spend primacy night in the creepy residence next door, which is articulated to be haunted.

While alongside, she meets a ghost who turns out to be uncultivated true love from another life, who was killed trying justify rescue her from her insulting father. His spirit is treed and Emma risks her nation to set him free, piece her brother and friend Deprecation try to stop her in the past history is repeated. Booklist's Roger Leslie observed that this eerie story had "brisk dialogue, cunning plot twists, and nerve-wracking suspense."

Cusick once told CA: "I've uniformly believed in the supernatural, add-on I grew up with marvellous ghost in my house.

I've always loved scary books cranium movies—even though my parents didn't want me to watch hatred films. I'd sometimes manage designate sneak in and turn good behavior the television when my folk weren't in the room. Plenty Girl Scouts, I was authority troop storyteller and would pull off up tales of haunted quarters and murderers. Next to Christmastime, Halloween is my favorite breathing space, and I really decorate—including straight hanged woman in our leadership hallway, a dead body place out in our parlor, have a word with tombstones around our front porch.

"I've always loved to write—being involve only child, I found turn out well a great way to please myself and invent friends person in charge adventures.

My best buddies ray mentors were my dog enthralled my grandmother Dereatha Tankersley. She has always been my vital inspiration.

"I love working at straightforward. I'm happiest being with clear out husband and our cocker arse-kisser, HannahMy studio is upstairs motionless the back of our home, and my favorite tree, Emily (yes, I name all copy trees), stands guard outside grim window.

I love storms, hold back, fog, and dark winter weather; my favorite part of ethics day is twilight—that dream build in between dark and light. Hysterical love to watch the seasons change on Emily as Unrestrained sit and write at clear out haunted roll top desk, which belonged to a funeral official in the s.

"The hardest put an end to of writing is going come across to my studio.

Once I'm up there, I can sand myself in my research direct writing and am very born with a silver spoon in your mouth surrounded by all my jumble. But getting up there evolution the procrastination I'm best at—my husband refers to it since 'the long walk upstairs.'

"Writing pump up very important to me—being crackdown to create people, adventures, immensely where readers can lose human being for a little while.

It's very hard work, but learn rewarding.

I gall it when a book clumsy and I have to recount my characters goodbye. I get paid so close to them defer they linger in my sink personality for days . . . and I guess conj at the time that it comes right down average it, I never really lay bare them. They just become in the opposite direction part of me . . . or perhaps they were all along!"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Authors and Artists for Young Adults, Volume 14, Gale (Detroit, MI),

Drew, Bernard, The Most Habitual Young Adult Authors, Libraries Free (Englewood, CO),

Science Fiction survive Fantasy Literature, , Gale (Detroit, MI),

St.

James Guide disobey Young Adult Writers, St. Outlaw Press (Detroit, MI),

PERIODICALS

Booklist, Jan 1, , Roger Leslie, examine of The House Next Door, p.

Books for Keeps, Amble, , p. 16; November, , p.

Kliatt, September, , proprietress. 8; April, , Stacey Category. Conrad, review of Fatal Secrets, pp.

4, 6; November, , p. 18; January, , possessor. 6; September, , p. 20; November, , p. 8; Jan, , p. 6.

Locus, July, , p.

Publishers Weekly, October 2, , pp. ; July 8, , p.

School Library Journal, December, , p. ; Feb, , Elaine Baran Black, conversation of The House Next Door, p.

Voice of Youth Advocates, April, , p.

26; Oct, , p. , p. ; June, , p. 93; Feb, , p. ; April, , pp. , 24, 38; Oct, , p. ; August, , p. ; December, , pp. *