Beth Groundwater facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beth Groundwater
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Groundwater in Colorado Springs, Colorado in March 2010
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| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | College of William & Mary Virginia Tech (MS) |
| Genre | Mystery fiction |
Beth Groundwater is an American author who writes exciting mystery novels. Her very first book, A Real Basket Case, was even nominated for a special award called the Agatha Award in 2007! While she mostly writes mysteries, she has also written a science fiction story.
Contents
Becoming a Writer
Beth Groundwater started writing stories when she was in fifth grade. In high school, she took extra English classes to learn more about writing.
She went to the College of William & Mary and studied Psychology and Computer Science. Later, she earned a special degree in software engineering from Virginia Tech. Beth worked as a software engineer until 1999. After that, she decided to follow her dream of becoming a full-time writer.
First Steps in Writing
After attending many writing events, Beth began writing short stories. She had seven short stories published before she found a literary agent. An agent helps authors get their books published. This agent helped her publish her first novel, A Real Basket Case, in 2007.
Nine of her short stories have been published, and one was even translated into Persian! One of her stories was even turned into a live play. Her most recent short story, "Fatal Fish Flop," was in a mystery book called Fish Tales in 2011.
Awards and Special Mentions
Beth Groundwater's short stories have won several writing contests.
- Her story "New Zealand" won first place in the 2003 PPW Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest. It also won the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Short Story Anthology Contest.
- "Flamingo Fatality" won the Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave Short Story Anthology Contest in 2005.
- Her 2005 story "Lucky Bear" won first place in the Storyteller Magazine Flash Fiction Contest.
Her first two novels were also recognized for awards:
- A Real Basket Case was nominated for the Best First Novel Agatha Award in 2007.
- To Hell in a Handbasket was a finalist in the Colorado Romance Writers' 2010 award.
Her Books
Beth Groundwater has written several mystery novels and a science fiction story.
Claire Hanover, Gift Basket Designer Series
This series follows a character named Claire Hanover, who designs gift baskets and solves mysteries!
- A Real Basket Case (2007)
- To Hell in a Handbasket: A Claire Hanover, Gift Basket Designer, Mystery (2009)
Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures Series
This mystery series takes place in the Rocky Mountains and involves outdoor adventures.
- Deadly Currents (2011)
- Wicked Eddies (2012)
Other Works
- The Epsilon Eridani Alternative (2009) - This is a science fiction story.
