**Welcome Author ZIANA DE BETHUNE** Author of: "VALANTINUS: Blood Brothers"

Genre:    Science Fiction/Fantasy/Vampire

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~~~AUTHOR BIO~~~

Ziana de Bethune 'officially' began her writing career in 1992, with the release of "PERSISTENCE PAYS." Unofficially, she was biten by the writing bug at twelve years old, when her teacher gave the class an assignment to write a 'Remembrance Day' poem. At the time, she thought, 'Are you crazy?' I'm no poet.

'Give me a break!' But, she did as she was told and once she began writing, the pen itself seemed to take over. The end result was a poem that was forty-nine lines long, and impressed her teacher so much, that she suggested it be entered in a provincial contest. Her folks packed up and moved the family out of the province, before the results of her entry arrived, but that didn't matter. She hasn't stopped writing since. A painfully shy girl coming from what some would call 'the wrong side of the tracks.' Writing and other forms of art provided her with an outlet to express herself. A little known fact is that Ziana lost most of her hearing from inner-ear infections at age nine, and had to learn lip reading and body language to hide her handicap. She spent most of her early years in self-imposed isolation, never feeling as if she would 'fit in.' But, her stubborn, ambitious streak eventually won over. Her background and her handicap became challenges to be met, rather than obstacles to overcome. 

Ziana has gone through many career changes, from a jeweler's apprentice to professional modeling, to dance instructor to accountant and has even held down a few assembly-line jobs, always searching for her 'niche.' Like love itself sometimes is, it was right under her nose the whole time, writing. As 1990 opened a new decade, she wrote a full-length novel, which was later accepted by a publisher in the USA, and launched her career in 1992. Never one to follow the rules, she writes in many genres, using different pen names. 

Writing set her on the path to speaking at conferences, and workshops. The evolution of her career, and so many years of working hard to learn the craft on her own and from professional mentors, eventually led her to a place where she was qualified to become a judge for national and international writer's contests. She has written fiction, non-fiction, biographies, and how-to articles. Several years ago, she wtote a full-length ebook entitled "WRITE YOUR BOOK: A No-Nonsense Guide To Writing Fiction" and gave it away free to anyone who clicked on the link to her website. Several thousand copies were distributed, and some were used in classrooms. Some said it was the most comprehensive learning tool that they had ever found, touching on topics, and offering suggestions that no-one else addressed. Her suggestion to anyone who wants to write is this: "Don't let anyone convince you that you can't." If the desire within you is strong enough, time, trial-and-error, experimentation and exposure to others in the craft will provide you with the tools you need to make it."