Nataliya Maize

I'm a stay at home mother of two, residing in Moreno Valley, California. At the moment I'm working on the first book of what I hope to become a series called "The Gatekeeper Chronicles". The title is still up in the air at the moment.

I was born in the OC, Westminster, California in '82. Where my beginnings and inspirations to become a fictional writer began, it was after attending a school assemble at Mabel Carver Elementary, in Stanton, California. I was introduced to a children's performance company, every year I hoped to write a short story that would be preformed by their yearly visits. Two years later in 3rd grade I achieved my childhood goal, and I wrote a short story that was personally selected and performed on stage by the company during the next year's assembly, I was so excited! But when I think about the story I wrote... I still to this day can't help but laugh because it just so silly.

I was later awarded for for my play, and from that point on continued writing whenever given the chance. Through the years I had gotten several complements from instructors, encouraging me to continue writing.

In '93 my family moved to Menifee, California. We had no choice, my mother was suffering from severe asthma problems and she needed the dry climate, doctor's orders. I was so depressed having to leave my old friends in Orange County and starting over as the new girl in school, and at the same time afraid of losing my mother because she was in the hospital for about a month, so I started writing poems.

By the time I attended high school, I started preparing for college. I wanted to go into Journalism, so eventually I did what I could to get into the school newspaper committee in my junior year. But, my counselor wouldn't let me join because journalism was considered an "advanced" class, and I was in English with a big, fat, red "F". I didn't let that stop me, there was a reason I had an "F" in English... I HATED ENGLISH CLASS WITH THE PASSION!

So I went around him, and spoke to a "family friend", Major Gathar. An ex-marine, who had spent the previous year chasing my brother Joshua ("James" from my book) around town (Literally!), Thanks BRO! Major Gathar was our Vice Principal, and this year he had made a promise to keep an "eye" on me. But Josh was the trouble maker, and I was the quite one, and Major knew I loved to write, so after going over my school records, he couldn't believe I had a "F" in English, but then he realized my clas schedule had an "A" in Shakespeare, another "advanced" English class I took as an elective for fun. So he dropped my old English class, and gave me the last open spot in Journalism.

After two weeks I had the highest grade, nerd... I know, but I loved writing and getting my point across, luckily I got comments from other students saying they had started reading the school paper again! And I was half expecting them to throw bricks at me LOL! That year I also signed up with a local TV News Station as a news reporter for Riverside County, "R.C.N. TV News" directed by Michael Perry, and went into modeling (some type of self esteem thing my parents encouraged). It was shocking to see myself on TV, reporting local news, in fact, it was embarrassing I couldn't watch it all. I just remember the next day the librarian saying "Hey I know you, your that girl on the news station! (Bright red face... omg, I wanted to die.)

Still... I longed to become a fictional author one day, so I continued writing through poetry. In 2000 I was published in two books at the age of seventeen for a poem I wrote called "Freed", published in "The Live Poets Society of NJ - American High School Poets Regional Winners 2000"; and also in "From the Mountain Top" published in the summer of 2000.

After high school I attended some creative writing courses at the community college, Mt. San Jacinto, at least it wasn't English. That's where I received my first bit of inspiration to write Chapter One - Midnight Calling, and the introductory "Prelude" to the "The Gatekeeper Chronicles".

Originally the story came about when I was asked to write of a descriptive scene for the course. My muse, an old illustration I did after moving from Orange County, and a poem I wrote called "He Craves Another". Eventually the piece developed into more, when several of my class mates handed me copies of my paper back with notes encouragement on the side. I couldn't believe it! They really liked it?

Unfortunately, later on some devastating things happened in my life and I stopped writing for a period of nine years. I had remarried, and after a couple years things started happening to my family and friends.

(Josh "James", Curtis "Anthony" Leon "Micheal", my brothers when we were young. )

Dreamscape: The Gatekeeper Chronicles A Book by Nataliya Maize

Watchers, waiting for the chance to change the course of our history; altering the very fabric of our reality, along with everything we've come to know and love. And now that chance had come, and I was the only one standing in their way...

Links, Websites, & Recommendations:

LIQUID STORY BINDER

I found this program about a year ago when I started "officially" working more on my novel "The Gate Keeper Chronicles", and I have to say for the year that I've tested this program out, it has been such an awesome tool to use! Er.... more like another arm or something... hmm whatever...

You gotta at least check out the website and see what I'm talking about cause this program is AWESOME!!! I think it would really come in handy for alot of you, trust me you'll take me later! LOL!

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Website:
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