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Stephen J. Petrick
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Stephen James Petrick (13 October 1988) is an American author of fantasy and science fiction literature as well as an realism artist. He was born in Dubois, Pennsylvania but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the age of two. His debut novel, The Child of Light: Shadows Receded, was first published in 2008 when he was nineteen years old. He has since finished work on two more novels which are in various stages of publication. His currently published novel, The Child of Light: Shadows Receded has developed a notable online and local fan-following. Biography A notable Harry Potter fan, Petrick was born in Dubois, Pennsylvania. He moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the age of two and has resided there ever since. He began writing his first novel The Child of Light: Shadows Receded in the sixth grade, at the age of eleven after ironically failing his English class. By the time he was thirteen, Petrick had begun writing more than ten novels all set around the same themes and settings. In his freshman year of high school, his English teacher convinced him to attempt to publish his work. After many unsuccesful attempts, a literary agency finally revealed to Petrick that his lack of success was caused by the extensive similarities between his work and the Harry Potter novels. He then re-wrote 95% of his manuscript and re-submitted it to various literary agencies before deciding to self-publish through the self-publishing website Lulu in 2008. On 16 November 2007, Petrick proposed to his girlfriend of six years, Kalani Rhue. Currently, he attends Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) and is majoring in fine arts. He hopes to some day teach college studio classes. Early Career and Influences While attending Arthur J. Rooney Sr. Middle School in the fall of 1999, Petrick failed his English class. Upon learning of her grandson's academic struggles, his grandmother decided to give him an early Christmas present in the form of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, in hopes that the reading might entice him to do better in the subject. After reading the book, Petrick was hooked. He became and avid fan of both the Harry Potter series and the author, J.K. Rowling. He got the idea for The Child of Light: Shadows Receded in a dream. He began writing the book from end to beginning and after a harsh critisism from a literary agency, he reviewed his work and re-wrote most of the story. Upon entering high school, Petrick accelled in each of his English classes, earning many praises for his creativity and beyond-his-years use of grammer and style. In 2006 he won his high school's Outstanding Academic Achievement Award for art and English. He graduated in the Top 50 of his class in 2006. Petrick claims to write most of his stories from exhaggerated real-life events. He creates characters based around close friends and family. His stories are also heavily influenced by the writings of such authors as J.K. Rowling, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. To date, he has written over twenty fantasy and science fiction novels, two of which are in various stages of publication. Publications Novels *2008 The Child of Light: Shadows Receded Angel's Feathers (Pre-Publication) See Also
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