NAPLES, FL, August 23, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to name Karen McWilliams a Lifetime Achiever. An accomplished listee, Karen McWilliams celebrates many years' experience in her professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes she has accrued in her field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
With more than fifty years of industry experience in creative writing, children's literature, and teaching elementary students, Ms. McWilliams has also been a judge for the Independent Publisher and Moonbeam children's book Awards in the categories of picture books, middle grade, and young adult fiction, nonfiction, and multicultural books. And, since 2006, she has also lent her services as a passage writer to Harcourt Brace Education Measurement Tests as well as Pearson Education Measurement Tests. Earlier in her career, she taught elementary classes in California and for the Department of Defense Overseas Schools in Germany, the Philippines, and Japan followed by a position as school librarian on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.
Ms. McWilliams graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a BA in education and San Diego State University with an MA in educational technology and library science. Her professional affiliations are the Authors Guild, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and the Florida Writers' Association. When she was a librarian in the Virgin Islands, she took a correspondence course from the Institute of Children's Literature. And, while researching Caribbean history in the public library's Archives and Documents collection, she learned to write her first historical fiction series based in the Americas.
Ms. McWilliams' first nonfiction book, Pirates, was about "The Golden Age of Piracy" (1650-1730) in the Caribbean, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. It was published by Franklin Watts Publishing Company. In the St. Croix Public Archives she discovered many fugitive slaves sailed with pirates which prompted her to write a book series with pirate themes. Therefore she began writing plantation diaries and journals written by fictional children from different eras and locations.
The Diary of a Slave Girl, Ruby Jo (South Carolina 1717-1718) was discussed on a Canadian talk show and has since then been a bestseller in Canada. The Journal of Darien Dexter Duff (Louisiana 1865) was awarded the Royal Palm Award for a Young Adult fiction book by the Florida Writers' Association. The Journey of Leroy Jeremiah Jones (Alabama 1855) was recommended in a teacher's guide book for a biography for 5th graders to read--though the book was fictional with no nonfiction biographical characters! The Diary of a Black Seminole Girl (Florida 1834) was runner up for the Royal Palm Award. The Diary of a Slave Girl, Camellia Cassandra (Cape Fear, North Carolina 1725), and The Journal of Jack Black, a Fugitive Slave (North Carolina, Bahama Islands, Tortuga, Jamaica, St. Croix 1718) were not submitted for awards. Her most recent book is a humorous pirate Christmas picture book for all ages--The Night Before Christmas Starring One-Eye Redbeard!
Ms. McWilliams has also been recognized in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Entertainment, Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Who's Who of American Women and Who's Who in the World. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to her profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Karen McWilliams has been featured on the Marquis Who's Who Lifetime Achievers website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
About Marquis Who's Who :
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America , Marquis Who's Who has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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