Welcome to the home page of

Michelle J. Prima

Welcome to my corner of the Internet. Inside these pages you will get to know a little about me--who I am, what I write and how I spend my days.

Who am I?

First and foremost, I am a writer. And as any writer would understand, while I exist in the real world, my mind is often preoccupied with the imaginary world. I like to believe I have achieved a comfortable balance between the two, but what writer hasn't questioned their sanity at one time or another?

My passion is Victorian England, which is the setting for my novels, as well as the theme for my Internet business.

In my writing world, I belong to my local RWA chapters--Chicago-North and Windy City. I was the librarian for Chicago-North for three years, and now host and design their web pages on my Internet site. I acted as coordinator of their Fire & Ice Contest.  My Chicago-North friends honored me with the first ever Chicago-North Service Award. I am proud to be a member of such a wonderful group of people.

I also belong to the Golden Network chapter of RWA. They bestowed their Service Award upon me at the RWA conference in Washington D.C.  Needless to say, I was thrilled.  I also belong to the Hearts Through History Chapter of RWA, and co-moderate the Victorian Special Interest Group.

In my professional world, I am the owner of a Professional Organizing business, Prima by Design.  It was with utter amazement that I learned one day that I could make a living doing something that comes naturally to me--organizing closets and rooms.  It was also utterly amazing to me that not everyone keeps their clothes and drawers color-coded by season.  What?  Don't tell me you don't coordinate the color of your hangers to your blouses?  Like to learn more?  Contact me at Michelle@PrimaByDesign.com.

In my personal world, I live with my two beautiful daughters, Jessica and Lisa, and my new husband, Steve (more about Mr. Wonderful below). My daughters take after my artistic side, for they are both musicians and avid readers, and Jessica has a passion for writing poetry.  Jessica keeps busy working for a nationally recognized greeting card company, and Lisa is studying photography in college. Steve's children, Samantha and Tommy, are also frequent visitors.

The most special person in my life is my husband, Steve.  What can I say about him besides "WONDERFUL"?  He is my personal hero who has helped me through some difficult times.  He listens to me, he cares about me, and he's there whenever I need him.  He surprised me on Christmas with an oil painting reproduction of my favorite work--The Hugenot--by Sir John Everett Millais. Steve had it commissioned by an artist in Bulgaria and shipped to the U.S.  It is a gift I will remember forever.  His is a love I will keep forever.

Also in our household are four loyal (and crazy) dogs.  We recently lost Zeus, Steve's mastiff.  He lived a long life with us.  He was eleven when he crossed the bridge.  His buddy, Loki, our five-year old chocolate lab is still with us, as is Bera, an Akita who has a mind of her own.  Her name means "Spirited" in Norse, and she lives up to her name.  She turned five in December. Then there's Marley, a six-year-old bloodhound who needed a better home.  We adopted him in a moment of insanity, but don't regret it.  Our moments of insanity are becoming more frequent in our older age. We also recently adopted a bloodhound/lab (or Blab) mix.  Her name is Raven, and she's as insane as her owners.  But we love them all.

 

My Businesses

I am the President of Literary Liaisons, Ltd., an Internet site for readers and writers of Historical Romance. Here one can:

  • Learn the craft of writing romance
  • Read research articles on the Victorian Era
  • Buy research books and works of fiction by writers of the Victorian era
  • Find links to sites on the Internet for the romance writer
  • Promote published books

I am the President of Prima by Design, a professional organizing business.  My specialties are:

  • Home offices (most specifically for writers)
  • Closet organizing
  • Garage/tag sales
  • Moving/Relocation

 
My Writing accomplishments

These include:

  • Self-publication of "101 Organizing Tips for Writers"
  • Self-Publication of a detailed Victorian Research Guide, Researching the British Historical, the Victorian Era.
  • Publication of non-fiction articles in the Fall 1999 Weddingpages Bride & Home Magazine, the 1997/1998 Chicago WeddingPages Bride and Home Magazine and the 1996/1997 Wedding Pages of Chicago Magazine
  • Publication of research articles in the Chicago-North newsletter, with re-release of these articles in other RWA chapter newsletters
  • Electronic publication of research articles on Blue Shingles, a research site on the Internet
  • Third Place in the 2000 Inland Valley RWA Put Your Best Hook Forward Contest--Historical Category
  • Third Place in the 1999 Indiana RWA Golden Opportunity Contest--Historical category
  • Second place in the 1999 Inland Valley RWA Put Your Best Hook Forward Contest--Historical Category
  • Second Place in the 1998 Neighborhood Press Lover's Knot Contest-Long Historical category
  • Third place in the 1998 Windy City Romance Writer's Four Seasons Contest-Historical/Regency category
  • Second Place in the 1997 Virginia Romance Writer's Fool For Love Contest-Historical/Regency Category
  • Finalist in the 1997 RWA Golden Heart Contest-Long Historical Category
  • Honorable Mention in the 1994 Monterey Bay Chapter Silver Heart Contest-Historical Category
  • Second Place in the 1993 North Texas RWA Great Expectations Contest-Historical Category
  • First Place in the 1992 River City RWA Showdown Contest

My writing projects
  • Tempting fate **1997 golden heart finalist**--set in London, England, 1851 (Completed)
  • Christel's ball--Set in Sussex, England, 1856 (Completed)
  • By My Side--Set in London, England, 1855 (Completed)
  • Betrayals--Set in Liverpool, England, 1863 (Completed)
  • The Misplaced Marquess--Set in London, England, 1864 (Work in Progress)
  • Long Way Home--Set in Manchester, England, 1887 (Work in Progress)
  • Every Step of the Way--Set in London, England, 1886 (Work in Progress)
  • Unfortunate Daughter--Set in London, England, 1869 (Work in Progress)
  • Love You Forever--set in London, England, 1884 (Completed)
  • STAR COLLECTOR--Set in London, England, 1885 (Work in ProgresS)

What is left of my life after all this (my hobbies)

I like to travel, especially to England. I lived there for three months during college, and have returned to Scotland and England four times since then. I love scouring their bookstores for unusual references.

I have attended the RWA National Conferences since Chicago in 1992, often extending my visits to include the city sights. Orlando in 1997 was the highlight of my writing career when I attended the conference as a Golden Heart Finalist.

I like to take long walks, either alone so I can plot my books, or as a family outing to a nearby lake.

My collections include: tiger memorabilia, especially anything Tigger, Monkees Memorabilia (I've had the pleasure of meeting Davy Jones several times), Wedgwood's blue Jasperware, and books--particularly romances.

To keep my aging mind sharp, I do crossword and jigsaw puzzles.

 

If you would like to contact me, click here:

If you would like to visit Literary Liaisons, Ltd., click here:

If you would like to visit Prima By Design, click here:

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Copyright 1998-99, 2000-08 M. Prima

Artwork courtesy of Marvelicious and Little Wing