Woodworth, Stephen 1967-

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WOODWORTH, Stephen 1967-

PERSONAL: Born 1967, in CA. Education: Graduate of Clarion West Writers Workshop.

ADDRESSES: Home—CA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Bantam Dell Publishing Group, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Writer.

AWARDS, HONORS: First place in Writers of the Future contest.

WRITINGS:

"THROUGH VIOLET EYES" SERIES; SUSPENSE FICTION

Through Violet Eyes, Bantam Dell (New York, NY), 2004.

With Red Hands, Bantam Dell (New York, NY), 2005.

In Golden Blood, Bantam Dell (New York, NY), 2005.

OTHER

Contributor of short fiction to publications, including Weird Tales, Aboriginal Science Fiction, Gothic.net, and Strange Horizons.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Another installment in the "Through Violet Eyes" series.

SIDELIGHTS: Speculative fiction writer Stephen Woodworth's first novel, Through Violet Eyes, tells of a world where a small portion of the population has violet eyes, a fact that marks these people as individuals who have the remarkable ability to lend their bodies out to those who have already died. Although this premise could lead down numerous paths, Woodworth concentrates on the use of these "Violets" for crime solving. Charles de Lint remarked in a review for the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction that Through Violet Eyes "has a great cast of characters, a smooth-flowing plot, and a great premise, with prose that's invisible and calls no attention to itself (which is not an easy trick, by the way)." A contributor to Publishers Weekly called the book a "chilling debut novel," and particularly enjoyed Woodworth's "brisk pacing and strong internal logic."

With Red Hands, a sequel to Through Violet Eyes, focuses on Natalie, a Violet who has been working for the North American Afterlife Communication Corps, the organization that helps murder victims connect with Violets in order to physically present testimony in front of a courtroom jury. Natalie has grown weary and left her job, but the Corps is not happy with her decision and wants to get her back. They are also interested in gaining control of her daughter—also a Violet—in order to ensure that the daughter will also work for the Corps. Of this novel, MBR Bookwatch critic Harriet Klausner said that "Woodworth has had one of the most original ideas in decades," and a contributor to Publishers Weekly called With Red Hands a "fast-paced and imaginative sequel to his amazing debut."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, February, 2005, Charles de Lint, review of Through Violet Eyes, p. 40.

MBR Bookwatch, January, 2005, Harriet Klausner, review of With Red Hands.

Publishers Weekly, March 15, 2004, John F. Baker, "Two Further Thrillers in a Series Begun by the Not-Yet-Published Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth Were Sold by Agent Jimmy Vines to the Publisher of the First Book," p. 14; July 12, 2004, review of Through Violet Eyes, p. 49; November 29, 2004, review of With Red Hands, p. 28.