About Vicki

Award-winning author Vicki Stiefel's fantasy romance series, The Made Ones Saga, launched with Altered, followed by Changed, and the soon-to-be published, Ascendant. Vicki continues work on her Afterworld Chronicles, which began with Chest of Bone, the first in the five-book series. Her award-winning mystery/thrillers feature homicide counselor Tally Whyte, and Vicki tapped into her love of knitting to produce Chest of Bone The Knit Collection and co-write 10 Secrets of the LaidBack Knitters.

After running The Writers Studio with her late husband, William G. Tapply, Vicki taught fiction and modern media writing at Clark University for six years. She mentors writers and students and critiques writing in a variety of genres, from partial to completed manuscripts.

Currently, she's playing with her pups, Penny and Bash, going wild in L.A., and working on a Secret Project.

Vicki’s writing and photography have also appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Worcester Magazine, Wild Fibers, Dive Training, and other national publications.. 

A More Personal Take:

|  What I Care About

I care about people, Mother Earth, and all her beautiful creatures. My baseline. Writing and teaching, two sides of the same coin, inspire me—few pastimes satisfy more than crafting magical worlds or unlocking the doors of a student’s imagination.

|  My Crazy Life

I grew up in professional theater—my family owned and ran the Ivoryton Playhouse for forty-two years, an Equity stock theater in Connecticut. At Ivoryton, I worked as an usher, a walk-on, a secretary, an apprentice, a ticket-seller, and an assistant business manager. My theater upbringing has been one of the defining elements in my life. 

After college, I planned to become an actress, with a bent for song and dance. Instead, I worked as an assistant producer for a New Jersey stock company, a professional photographer, a high-school Drama and English teacher, a hamburger slinger, a scuba-shop manager, and an editor. I've also counseled adolescents and worked with law enforcement professionals. 

I am Blake's and Ben's mom, my favorite role of all, and mom to a furry pack who include my mystery pups, Penny and Bash.

|  My Passions

All of the above, plus scuba diving and fly fishing and knitting; photography and movies; vinho verde and bourbon (not together!); Maine lobster and chocolate (also not together!); and musical comedy scores, which I sing in the shower, unfortunately not an Equity venue; and a fascination with people in all walks of life.

I read voraciously. I write every day. Few things trump conjuring magical worlds and crafting characters who soar. 

• What are your passions?