Collins, Brandilyn 1956-

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COLLINS, Brandilyn 1956-

PERSONAL:

Born October 5, 1956, in Miraj, India; daughter of J. T. (a missionary worker, educator and author) and Ruth (a missionary worker and author) Seamands; married Mark Collins, 1981; children: Brandon, Amberly, Ryan (stepson). Ethnicity:

"Caucasian." Education: San Francisco State University, B.A. (journalism). Politics: Republican. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Singing, reading, jogging.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Multimedia Product Development, 410 South Michigan Ave., Suite 724, Chicago, IL 60605. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Novelist. Former marketing writer.

MEMBER:

Christian Booksellers Association, Women's National Book Association, Writers Information Network, American Christian Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America (RWA), Faith Hope & Love Chapter of RWA, Christian Writers Group, Chi Libris.

AWARDS, HONORS:

American Christian Romance Writers named as a Book of the Year Eyes of Elisha, 2001, and Color the Sidewalk for Me, 2002; Writer of the Year, Mount Hermon Writers Conference, 2002; Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, 2003, for Color the Sidewalk for Me.

WRITINGS:

"BRADLEYVILLE" SERIES

Cast a Road before Me, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 2001.

Color the Sidewalk for Me, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 2002.

Capture the Wind for Me, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 2003.

"CHELSEA ADAMS" SERIES

Eyes of Elisha, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 2001.

Dread Champion, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 2002.

"HIDDEN FACES" SERIES

Brink of Death, Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI), 2004.

NONFICTION

A Question of Innocence, Avon (New York, NY), 1995.

Getting into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn from Actors, J. Wiley (New York, NY), 2002.

ADAPTATIONS:

Cast a Road before Me was also issued as an audio book.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Four novels in the "Hidden Faces" series of Christian suspense featuring a forensic artist; three novels in the "Dearing Family" series of novels featuring a wacky extended family and their unpredictable reunions, all for Zondervan.

SIDELIGHTS:

Brandilyn Collins's first book, A Question of Innocence, was the true crime story of a nationally watched murder case. She is also the author of Christian fiction, including a women's series set in Bradleyville, Kentucky, and a suspense series that begins with Eyes of Elisha. In this novel, the protagonist is Chelsea Adams, a Christian woman with the gift of visions. When she and her husband, Paul, have dinner with a candidate for an executive position with his software company, she sees something in his past that causes her to contact the police. A Publishers Weekly reviewer called Eyes of Elisha "a chilling tale of suspense that makes a worthy contribution to the sparse genre of Christian mystery fiction."

Vickie McDonough reviewed Dread Champion for Women on Writing online, saying that Collins "has once again penned a heart-throbbing suspense with well-crafted characters that are never out of character." Chelsea is selected for the jury in a murder case and becomes the holdout for convicting a man accused of killing his wife because she sees what the others do not. While she is sequestered with the jury, Chelsea becomes disturbed when her visiting niece, Kerra, shows an interest in the defendant's son, who may be involved with his father's case. Library Journal's Shawna Saavedra Thorup called the novel "a riveting mystery and courtroom drama."

The award-winning Color the Sidewalk for Me employs flashbacks to depict the seventeen-year estrangement and ultimate reconciliation of Bradleyville residents Celia Matthews and her mother. A Publishers Weekly reviewer considered it an "excellent novel for the inspirational market" and asserted that "Overall, this novel exemplifies how Christian fiction is finally coming of age."

Collins used her drama background in writing a how-to for writers titled Getting into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn from Actors. Kevin Canfield wrote in the Writer that "in this useful but occasionally frustrating book, Collins has sought to adapt the tenets of method acting to the writing of the novel. Sometimes she succeeds—her chapter on determining what motivates fictional characters is stellar, and her discussion of the self-editing process is equally informative."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, September 1, 2001, Melanie C. Duncan, review of Eyes of Elisha, p. 154; November 1, 2002, Shawna Saavedra Thorup, review of Dread Champion, p. 72.

Publishers Weekly, August 27, 2002, review of Eyes of Elisha, p. 49; February 25, 2002, review of Color the Sidewalk for Me, p. 44; September 16, 2002, review of Dread Champion, p. 51; February 10, 2003, review of Capture the Wind for Me, p. 161.

Writer, May, 2003, Kevin Canfield, review of Getting into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn from Actors, p. 45.