Marc Severson

Born in Elgin, Illinois as a life-long Cubs fan I know how to write of despair, terror and sadness. The move to Arizona in the mid-sixties allowed me to become a confirmed desert dweller of the first rank. Trained at the University of Arizona as an archaeologist and educator I also am a self-taught raconteur. Despite the many rewards I have garnered, both physically and spiritually, from these disparate professions I have always said that one day, when I grow up I would like to become a writer. Recently I've decided that I don't want to wait that long so I've entered the ranks of the published.

I no longer work as a teacher (after 32 years) or an archaeologist (since 1972) though I remain vitally interested in both professions and each has contributed greatly to my writing. I still tell stories whenever anyone wants to listen or the spirit comes upon me, performing several times at Tucson Meet Yourself, Tucson Festival of Books and at various schools and libraries across Arizona. I am a member in reasonably good standing of Tucson Tellers of Tales, a professional storytelling organization that you may find more information about on Facebook.

Married for over forty years to the same incredibly patient woman, we have four daughters and we currently spend much of our time herding six grandchildren.

Chaos Territory is the first book in a series that is based on several Lovecraft inspired short stories I wrote while in college. I have completed the first drafts of the next two books in the series and hope to see them published soon. I am also at work on the first book of another series of mysteries set in prehistoric Arizona and a novel about archaeology.

A critical issue for me is finding some way to preserve the stories that I tell, at least those of mine that are personal ones and several that I have created for children. Because of that I have recently started uploading storytelling from the Tucson Festival of Books on YouTube. Here is one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ5qYn_-zO0&ebc=ANyPxKqDcmG6q1u9uKKX--i1bjhW97Crf_Ik8L2BrUfYkHx-KW4CwdpcbImmFPP8aE2X1-hpwQokzulpAjIIfVn7HyQeY1eZTQ Watch this space.

Thus shortens my story . . .