Wayne L.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY Wayne L. Wilson received a Master of Arts in Education from UCLA. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to establishing a career in writing, for over a decade Wilson co-owned and operated an international publishing company featuring innovative multicultural greeting cards and related gift items. Wayne's passion for education was incorporated into his entrepreneurial efforts. He worked jointly with corporations such as Miller Brewing and Kraft General Foods developing product and advertising for scholarship fundraising programs. Wilson also served as a Product and Marketing Consultant working with independent gift publishers such as Recycled Paper Products and Schurman Fine Papers. He developed and licensed over 100 images exclusively to SFP and created a marketing program for the company that resulted in the growth and expansion of their new ethnic product line. After an exciting career as an entrepreneur Wilson conducted field interviews and wrote 160 biographies for a comprehensive vocational education book, Encuentros: Hombre A Hombre published by the California Department of Education. He was subsequently hired by Pomegranate Publishing to research and write quotes for a desktop calendar entitled Black Humor: Satire, Comedy, & Wit. Wayne’s debut novel, Soul Eyes, received excellent reviews and was awarded a three-book contract.” Wayne authored dozens of published nonfiction books targeted toward young adults. His short stories and essays have appeared in magazines and anthologies. Wayne wrote Kate, the Ghost Dog: Coping With the Death of a Pet, published by Magination Press an imprint of the American Psychological Association. He also wrote the text for the middle school novel: The Hoop Kid From Elmdale Park, based on characters and story created by sports designer, Teko Bernard. Wayne is a screenwriter and member of the Writers Guild of America. His screenplays have been optioned and he wrote a treatment and original screenplay for Universal Pictures. In 2013, Wayne completed two educational books for Purple Toad Publishing. For the series "That's Me In History" Wayne wrote RENAISSANCE ITALY, a book about the Italian Renaissance as experienced through the eyes of its young narrator. The book was published in January 2014. The second book is entitled Famous Fighters and is featured in a new series called the Flight to Freedom, exploring the Underground Railroad. Wilson has been involved in a variety of research projects writing summaries on such topics as Media Coverage on the Abolition of Slavery; Online Dating; Historical and Landmark Houses and Buildings in California; and Organizations, Groups, and Leaders blazing paths of empowerment in their communities. Last year, Wayne worked on a project for PBS and Union Bank “Spotlight” presentations (PSA’s) that received several prestigious awards. In 2014, Wayne researched, wrote, and developed stories for PBS featuring heroic and defining moments in United States Military History that have shaped our modern day society.