About

Short Bio:
Nancy O. Greene started writing at the age of nine. Her previous works include Portraits in the Dark: A Collection of Short Stories, which received a brief mention in the Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2007; and fiction, non-fiction, and poetry in edifice WRECKED; RESPECT International; All Things Girl; and Freshly Squeezed: An Anthology. She is currently the editor of Pen in Hand, the newsletter for the Maryland Writers’ Association. She also has a BA from the University of Southern California, where she studied creative writing with award-winning writers and professors such as T. Coraghessan Boyle and Aimee Bender.

Reviews, Interviews, and Awards:

REVIEWS:

“Greene is a writer in bloom. Crisp and vivid – like old black-and-white photographs you find in a drawer you were never meant to look into – each story sets up an interesting scenario, often leaving you with more questions than answers … and wanting more. Anything that has me thinking after I read it stays in my library.” – Matt Adder, Bookgasm: Reading Material to Get Excited About.

“A slender but remarkably intriguing read, Portraits in the Dark comprises nine short stories balanced neatly on the line that separates hope from hopeless despair. The cast of characters and scenarios is fascinating.” – Dave Thompson, TCM Reviews.

“Portraits is my first exposure to author Nancy O. Greene … I hope to read more of Ms. Greene in the near future and in the meantime I’m going to keep this one close by, so as to re-read the bright character studies from time to time. In all, it’s a rather short book, but there is a lot of rich, imaginative concentrated escapism – a lot inside a little space. Greene makes conservative use of words, making as few as possible go as far as they can be stretched, not unlike, say, Kafka, who also was a master of minimalistic writing with a maximum imagery effect.” – Kent Mathie, Reviewer Magazine.

“Each tale has its own flavor and stands well by itself. Her talent allows you to dwell in the mind of an insane person, or suffer along with someone that is being afflicted by an evil being. Of course some stories combine both elements. She covers a variety of topics, and torments. Jealousy, lust, and greed are dominating elements that she includes in most of the stories. If you enjoy horror, do not miss out on this one!” – Paige Lovitt for Multiverse Reviews.

“I don’t try to conjure a single word to describe a given book, but in this case the word “lingering” comes to mind when I think about the stories in Nancy O. Greene’s Portraits in the Dark. This is subtle writing that sort of wraps around you unawares. There’s also a surprising degree of variety in play here, in both content and approach. Bad decisions, bad luck, and sometimes a combination of the two force Greene’s characters into vulnerable and sometimes dangerous positions. I would not describe the book as horror – certainly not in the traditional sense – but it will certainly appeal to those with dark appetites, as Nancy O. Greene basically takes the reader on a fascinating tour of the realms of the human psyche normally closed to visitors.” -Daniel Jolley, Amazon.com Top 50 Reviewer.

“Portraits in the Dark is well-crafted and engrossing; each story has just the right voice, just the right rhythm, with characters and situations that are intriguing and at times frightening. It’s well worth the read.” -Eric D. Goodman, freelance writer; author; and editor of the popular literary weblog, www.writeful.blogspot.com.

“Portraits in the Dark is a varied assortment of nine short stories. One will make you want to run and hide under the sheets on your bed, and others would make you feel pity for the person. It’s one big emotional ride to ‘The End.’” – Tara Hammack (teen) for Reader Views.

INTERVIEWS:

Audio:
The Writing Show

Print:
On Myspace

AWARDS:

Quarterfinalist awards: 10th Annual Writers Network Screenplay & Fiction Competition, sponsored by Fade In magazine.

Semifinalist awards: 10th Annual Writers Network Screenplay & Fiction Competition, sponsored by Fade In magazine.