ERIN BARTELS lives in the water-defined state of Michigan. She grew up in the Bay City area, waiting at drawbridges for freighters and sailboats, and spent her college and young married years in Grand Rapids (before it was considered cool). She now lives with her husband, Zachary, and their karate-obsessed son in a little old brick house in the middle of the Mitten, nestled somewhere between angry protesters on the Capitol lawn and couch-burning frat boys at nearby Michigan State University. And yet, she claims it is really quite peaceful.Erin's short story, "This Elegant Ruin," was a finalist for the Saturday Evening Post's 2014 Great American Fiction Contest, and her novel manuscript, I Hold the Wind, was a finalist for the Women's Fiction Writers Association 2015 Rising Star Award. Her poetry has been featured in the East Lansing Poetry Attack. She is a member of the Capital City Writers Association and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She is also the features editor for and a regular contributor to WFWA’s quarterly newsletter, Write On.Find her on Facebook (http://facebook.com/ErinBartelsAuthor), Instagram (@erinbartelswrites), or on Twitter (@ErinLBartels). She blogs regularly at www.erinbartels.com.