The Story So Far

Persia Walker

(They say you should never start a tale by telling where the main character was born — no reader is interested in going back “that far.” But every rule has its exceptions and this is one of them — when the author tells her own tale.)

I was born in New York City, an only child. I was a sick kid, always home with asthma, and books became my best friend. I consumed them, along with chocolate chip cookies, one right after the other, and at the same time developed a deep love for those black and white movies of the 1940s.

As a teenager, I studied drama at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City. At age 16, I won a scholarship to Swarthmore College, where I majored in Comparative Religion and minored in Black Anthropology. I later studied at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, to earn a master’s degree.

I worked for The Associated Press in Arkansas; Washington, DC; and New York. I also wrote for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc., (RFE) in Munich. I was on hand to witness the political as well as physical eradication of the Berlin Wall. Eventually, I was laid off when RFE/RL moved its operations to Prague. I remained in Munich with my family. I worked as a freelance book editor, and did cultural reporting and voice work for European publications.

During this period, I also tried my hand at writing a novel, something I’d always wanted to do. The results got me a wonderful agent, but the manuscript still went unsold.

I started work on another manuscript. However, I was advised to put it aside and concentrate on my health: I had been diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer.

My physicians in Germany were excellent; my friends and family loyal and supportive. I received chemotherapy and radiation and a recuperative cure. To this day, I remain cancer-free.

In late 2003, I returned to New York, a single mother, with my two children. In 2011, I joined the U.S. Department of State and became a Foreign Service Officer. My first diplomatic posting is to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In my spare time, I enjoy Indian and Thai food for dining, romantic thrillers and detective stories for reading, movies about superheroes, and television programs about desperate housewives and true crime. My perfect Sunday morning includes a lengthy and lazy browse through The New York Times.

I live in Virginia – and yes, I’m still single.

That’s all for now. If you have any other questions, feel free to write.