About the AUTHOR
 Years ago, when I was a criminology student, I spent many hours writing about criminal behaviour for term papers. By the time I received my diploma, I realized I d rather write crime fiction than work for the Criminal Justice System, a decision I ve never regretted.
While I learned the craft of writing, I worked as a secretary for accountants, professors, lawyers, and a host of other interesting people and businesses. Many experiences from those years worked their way into TAXED TO DEATH, my first mystery novel.
When I left full time employment to raise my children, I used pockets of free time to develop short fiction while I kept working on novels. Needless to say, a number of my parenting experiences found their way into stories, essays, and anecdotes. When my children were older, I returned to a paying job and worked in retail for five years. From there, I ventured into security work, where I trained as a patrol and communications officer. Currently, I am devoting more time to fiction and writing reviews. Most of my reviews can be found at www.amazon.ca.
Some of the results include TAXED TO DEATH, featuring Revenue Canada Agency auditor, Alex Bellamy, and FATAL ENCRYPTION, which picks up eighteen months after Alex has been fired from RCA and is still between temp jobs.
My latest series, featuring public transit security officer Casey Holland, begins with THE OPPOSITE OF DARK, a tale of the ramifications of family deceit.
The photo of the furry tabby on this page is of our beloved family cat, Mimo, who likes to hang out wherever a family member is nearby. Mimo's eleven years old and has already used up three of his lives. We're hoping he'll settle down with age. The rest of the photos are of animals that visit our home from time to time. Coyotes and the occasional bear have also traipsed through our neighbourhood, but they don't stick around long enough to photograph, not that I'd have the courage to do this anyway.
Writing Awards include:
First Place short story, “The Taste of Peppermint” in NeWest Review, Fall 1998
Second Place essay, “Success and the Worthy Cause”, Success Wanted Contest, November 2002
Runner-up with short story “Bruised Apples” in Joyous Publishing’s spring 2007 contest
Finalist in Burnaby Writers’ Society “High Middle Ages” contest with my story “You Want
Fries With That?”, 2007
Honourable Mention for short story “Some Mother’s Child” at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference, 2007
Third place for short story, “Inside Out” in On The Premises fiction contest, February 2011
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at Debra_Kong@telus.net
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