In a career devoted to full-time employment avoidance, Barbara Schnell has worked in marketing at an insurance company (now defunct) and was a purchasing agent for a major San Francisco law firm (also now defunct but she claims to have had nothing to do with either failure–really). She restored a 1921 California Bungalow in Los Angeles. She set a cash-winning record (at the time) on $25,000 Pyramid and came in last on Jeopardy. She sang mezzo and played flute in the St. Paul’s Cathedral Center choir… Life has been an interesting journey so far. With reference to writing credentials Barbara has had a short story, “Grandma’s Straw Hat”, published in an anthology. Another short story, “Tracks”, was published in Literary Landscapes. Six of her stories won the Southern California Writers’ Association “Will Write for Food” flash fiction contest and have been published in SCWA’s collection. She’s also written two screenplays–she worked as an actress and is still a member of SAG/AFTRA, it seemed a logical medium to start in–and got lots of compliments and no cash. She serves as editor for her husband who’s a technical writer. Oh! And she gets raves on her Christmas letter. She actually compiled the letters into an eBook called Greetings from Casa Cesspoole, and is getting positive reviews. First Year, the story of fledging marriage, is her debut novel. She recently published her second novel, Marianne Moves On, and was just notified that it won a National Indie Excellence Award in the Chick Lit category. It’s the story of a wedding done with no money, for a bride who’s not at all sure she’s doing the right thing, attended by feuding relatives…you know, reality.
Barbara lives in California with her patient husband and two cats.