It all started with fanfiction. Really. Harry Potter fanfiction, to be exact. I was about twelve, in the 7th grade, and incredibly bored during the majority of the school day. It goes without saying that I was obsessed with Harry Potter. I’d read all the books out at that time (I believe we were up to Order of the Phoenix?), the second movie had come out the year before, and my friends and I were impatiently waiting for the third. The details elude me, and the writing that came of it is lost to history and probably wasn’t all that great, but something spurred me into thinking that Harry and Draco should definitely be a couple.
And so it began.
I delved into bandfiction in 8th grade, due to my obsession with Good Charlotte, and eventually Panic! at the Disco and Fall Out Boy in high school (along with several other related bands.) Somewhere in that timeframe was when I first considered writing original fiction. The first original story I ever wrote was based on me and my friends, and it was…not great. The several people I showed it to liked it, but I knew I could do better.
I needed to do better.
Skip forward to college, where I originally intended to be an art major, but at the last second decided to pursue an English degree instead, with a concentration in creative writing. In my first creative writing class, I took an old fanfiction and changed all the names, and submitted it as my story to be critiqued by the class. But as my final project, I knew I needed something else, something new. Something truly original.
And so The Atheist’s Prayer was born.
When I’m not writing, I like to sit around with a cat in my lap, watch adult cartoons, and crochet. I’m also into several other crafts, including rock tumbling, tying friendship bracelets, 3D printing, and making stuff out of cardboard. Other interests include singing alone in my car, playing with pixel dragons, ogling other people’s ball-jointed dolls and fussing over my own, and generally being a huge nerd (did someone say spreadsheets?!).
When I’m not being a homebody, I like spending time with friends (what? I have those), hiking when it’s not deadly hot out, rock climbing, and swimming.
To pay for cat food and fund my yarn addiction, I work for an internal IT help desk. I’m frequently hailed as a wizard, so I guess we’ve come full circle.
Meilo Zaborowski: Author 