Pam Bainbridge-Cowan is a satellite member of the Klamath Writers' Guild, who lives in the Portland, Oregon area. Pam was one of the first members of the writers' group that eventually became the Guild. Pam along with Esther Dunlap, Tallie Thompson and Ann Lewis Cooper would gather at Dotte Shaffer's home to discuss books and their journey as writers.
I am an army brat who was born in Ansbach, Germany and lived in 17 different places by the age of 13. Oddly, I started writing about the same time we stopped moving. Maybe I wanted the adventure to continue?
My first short story, “Jose, Bobby and Me” was about three boys growing up in an urban environment with absent parents, drugs and warring gangs. While I don’t recall the outcome, I do remember my father reading the story and crying. That was it. If I could make my father cry than I’d discovered real power. I’ve been writing ever since.
The first time I saw my work published was when I took a class in journalism and wrote for my college newspaper. I believe the story was, “History Professor Accepts Job in Alaska.” More articles followed--all equally profound.
My first sale was an interview with a quirky robotics professor at the Oregon Institute of Technology who built robots that went out and did half-time shows with the school’s cheerleaders. The editor of Voices said I had a great way with human interest and he was sure I could make him cry. Well, there I went again. What is it with this crying business?
After graduation I got busy with marriage; kids; hobbies; work; divorce; marriage; career; and like some weird Mobius strip looping through all of it, writing. I joined a writing group. I wrote a little poetry, several short stories. I even submitted a few of them. I sold some horror, a little science fiction. I started a writing group. I guest lectured on writing at the community college. I edited a magazine. I decided to try writing a novel. It took three years and the result was the psychological thriller/mystery, "Something in the Dark." I got 28 rejections from agents who didn't think the book would fit the current line they were creating. Is this like a fashion line? Was I so poorly dressed?
I decided writing was not the thing for me after all. It would be much better/smarter to spend my free hours doing something more fun and/or meaningful. Since I never listen to myself I then wrote my next book, "Yetzirah" a world-building, high-fantasy novel. I started sending queries out to the world, knowing full well I’d be getting a flurry of rejections and should really give it up and…in the meanwhile…I started writing the serial killer suspense novel, "Cold Kill."
I guess I should abandon the idea that I’ll ever have free time to travel, to paint, or to do whatever people do who never made their fathers cry. So, now that I’ve enjoyed my whine, here’s my real bio, condensed, revised, and mostly true.
The rest of her bio can be found at the following link: http://www.pambainbridgecowan.com/bio.html