Julie Ann Dawson (born August 1971) is an American
horror fiction
Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J ...
writer,
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
designer, and
publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
.
Early life
Dawson was born in
Millville, New Jersey
Millville is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 28,400, While attending high school, she was inspired by
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
's novel ''
Salem's Lot
''Salem's Lot'' is a 1975 horror novel by American author Stephen King. It was his second published novel. The story involves a writer named Ben Mears who returns to the town of Jerusalem's Lot (or 'Salem's Lot for short) in Maine, where he ...
'' to become a writer. She also worked for her high school newspaper. She graduated from
Bridgeton High School
Bridgeton High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the city of Bridgeton, in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Bridgeton Public S ...
The Press of Atlantic City
''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The newspaper designated market runs from Ware ...
''. Archived from the original (page 1 an 2 on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27 – via
Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites.
In November 2018, ...
.
After high school, she enrolled in
Glassboro State College
Rowan University is a public research university in Glassboro, New Jersey, with a medical campus in Stratford and medical and academic campuses in Camden. It was founded in 1923 as Glassboro Normal School on a site donated by 107 residents.
...
. There, she worked for both the college's newspaper and magazine. While at Glassboro, she also began publishing stories and poems in various publications, including
Dan DeBono
Daniel DeBono (born November 13, 1964 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American writer and novelist.
Early life
Daniel DeBono grew up in Chesterfield, Michigan. He graduated from L'anse Creuse High School North and attended Wayne State University, In ...
's Gareth Blackmore's Unusual Tales, Happiness Magazine, Lucidity, Black Bough, and The New Jersey Review of Literature. Dawson Dawson graduated from Glassboro State College in 1993.
Professional life
After graduation, Dawson became a freelance writer for Vineland Journal. Embracing the growing electronic market, she published works with Demonground, Poetrymagazine.com, Sabledrake Magazine, RPG Times, and others. She also joined the International Women's Writing Guild (IWWG) and the Speculative Literature Foundation. She founded the Cautus Creative Society, which was for sculptors, poets, painters, and artists to meet. Dawson became an employee of Kirby Vacuum Company. Her first job was as a
sales representative
Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale.
The seller, or the provider of the Goods and services, goods or services, c ...
before she received a 1995 promotion to field supervisor. In 1996, she switched to being one of the company's recruiters.
In 2002, Dawson launched Bards and Sages, a small press publisher 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.
Dawson published her first book, ''September and Other Stories'', a collection of horror stories and poems, under Bards and Sages in 2005.Schaffer, Regina (2005-09-02). "Self-publishing is no longer thought to be vanity project" (page 1 an 2 . ''
The Press of Atlantic City
''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The newspaper designated market runs from Ware ...
''. Archived from the original (page 1 an 2 on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27 – via
Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites.
In November 2018, ...
. It was received to positive reviews.
In March 2005, she released the Bards and Sages's first RPG, ''Neiyar: Land of Heaven and the Abyss''. The book, employing the d20 system licensed by
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...
, is set on an isolated jungle island ruled over by female priestesses.
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. The Koboldnomicon, a compilation of d20 gaming material involving
kobolds
A kobold (occasionally cobold) is a mythical sprite. Having spread into Europe with various spellings including "goblin" and "hobgoblin", and later taking root and stemming from Germanic mythology, the concept survived into modern times in Ger ...
, was released in July 2006. ''Dead Men (and Women) Walking'', an anthology of the undead, was released in September 2006.
Since January 2009, she has been the editor-in-chief of ''
Bards and Sages Quarterly
''Bards and Sages Quarterly'' is a quarterly fantasy, horror, and science fiction literary magazine published by Bards and Sages, and edited by Julie Ann Dawson. Its first issue was released in January 2009. It is a semi-professional paying marke ...
'', a speculative fiction literary magazine, published by Bards and Sages.
Dawson has been a resident of
The Press of Atlantic City
''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The newspaper designated market runs from Ware ...
''. Archived from the original (page 1 an 2 on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27 – via
Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites.
In November 2018, ...