SALT LAKE CITY, UT February 27, 2014
“Michael fell in love with Erin twice. The first time, he didn’t know she was married. The second time, he didn’t know it was her.” When WiDo’s submission editor, Allie Maldonado, read these opening lines in a query from writer Erin Passons, she was hooked.
“It was one of the most compelling memoirs I’ve ever read,” states Maldonado. “To be successful, a memoir author must have a purpose behind the writing of it, beyond simply the desire to share a snippet of one’s life. And it must also have a strong narrative. Erin’s book has all the elements to draw you and leave you breathless.”
Why did Erin Passons write her story? It’s a tale of online deception, or what is known as “catfishing,” the practice of using social media to create false identities to pursue deceptive online romances. She says, “I’m telling my story so it won’t become someone else’s.”
Passons is the author of two previously released horror novels. She wrote and produced the play “Tell Evangeline I Love Her,” which was performed in Melbourne, Australia, and she works with Walking Dead director Jeffrey January on screenplay development. Most of her writing starts with a sentence that somehow lodges in her brain and won’t leave her alone until she writes it on paper.
Passons loves to visit the local indie Austin coffee shops to work on her books, and enjoys writing in third-person perspective. She thinks of her characters as her “teachers” who all have their own identities. Her characters have been teaching her for some time: she won her first writing award in 2nd grade, with the short story, “Why is Mommy Fat?”
“WiDo has a reputation for working directly with an author,” Passons says when asked why she submitted to WiDo Publishing. “and I wanted to engage in that homespun spirit. I feel WiDo and I are like-minded when it comes to marketing and promoting, with focus on creating a stellar online presence, with concentration on marketing myself as well as the book I’ve written. I’m excited to be part of their family.”
“Erin is a dedicated writer of great versatility, professionalism, and talent,” states Allie Maldonado. “Her memoir is absolutely amazing. We are so thrilled she signed with us.”
Erin Passons is an Austin-based author of three highly-acclaimed novels and an insurmountable collection of short stories and poetry. She uses her overpriced Fine Arts degree and dark humor to make sense of the chaotic world around her. You can stay abreast with Erin, her work, and her latest catastrophes through her site, www.erinpassons.com.