Brief Biography
William Kowalski was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania. After graduating from St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, he moved to the Mojave Desert of California and became a teacher. At the same time, he began writing his first novel, Eddie's Bastard, which was published in 1999 by HarperCollins, Inc. Three more novels followed: Somewhere South of Here (HarperCollins, 2001), The Adventures of Flash Jackson (HarperCollins, 2003), and The Good Neighbor (HarperCollins, 2004). Since 2002, William has lived with his wife and two children in Nova Scotia. He is currently at work on his fifth novel.
Selected List of Publications
Novels
- The Good Neighbor. HarperCollins, 2004. World English publication by Transworld/Doubleday/Black Swan. Translations in Swedish and German.
- The Adventures of Flash Jackson. HarperCollins, 2003. World English publication by Transworld/Doubleday/Black Swan. Translations in German, Dutch, Swedish, Polish, and Serbian.
- Literary Guild Book-of-the-Month Alternate Selection, 2003.
- Somewhere South of Here. HarperCollins, 2001. World English publication by Transworld/Doubleday. Translations in French, German, Dutch, Swedish and Polish.
- Eddie's Bastard. HarperCollins, 1999. World English publication by Transworld/Doubleday/Black Swan, London. Translations in 14 languages.
- 1st Prize Winner, Ama-Boeke (Book Lover's) Award (South Africa), 2001.
- Number 5 best-seller, London Daily Mail 2000.
- Number 5 best-seller, The Times of London (play magazine) Feb. 2001.
- Booksense 76 selection, Winter 1999 and Spring 2001.
- Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Authors Series Selection, 1999. Reader's Digest Select Editions, Vol. I, 2000.
Screenplays
- Lovely To The Last . (Feature). 2007. Co-written with Markus Griesshammer.
- Official Selection, 2007 IFP Market Conference.
- Top Ten Percent finalist, Nicholl Fellowship Screenplay Competition.
- Currently in production by Mike S. Ryan.
- HeadCase Humanufacturing, Inc. (Corporate video). 2006. Featuring animated characters set in Second Life, an online virtual community.
- The Fiddler. (Feature). 2005.
- Top Ten Finalist, Atlantic Film Festival Script Development Contest, 2005.
- Dreams of a Gypsy. (Feature), 2005. Co-written with Markus Griesshammer.
- Top 10 Finalist, Cinequest Screenplay Competition, 2005.
- Official Selection, 2005 IFP Market Conference.
- Coyote Beach. (Short), 2003. Co-written with Markus Griesshammer.
- 21st Century Filmmakers' Award for Best American Short, 9th Avignon/New York Film Festival, 2003.
- Official Selection, Hong Kong International Film Festival, 2003; Avignon Film Festival, 2003; Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, 2003; Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, 2003; Hamptons International Film Festival, 2003; They Made The Movies Here Film Festival at Southampton College, 2004; Best of Long Island Film Series, June 2004; IFP New York Buzz Cuts monthly Short Film Showcase, 2005. North-American TV rights sold to Independent Film Channel. Aired in IFC short film showcase throughout October 2004. Part of shorts! Volume 2. Rights sold to HBO Latin America.
Articles and Essays
- "On The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald" Globe and Mail, March 22, 2008
- "Use Conflict To Improve Your Stories" The Writer, August 2008
- "Writing Secrets of the Ancient Greeks" The Writer, March 2008
- "Setups and Pay-offs" The Writer (cover feature article), April 2007
- "Returning To The Right Foot" The Writer, February 2006
- "Five Common Mistakes Beginning Writers Make" authorlink.com, November 2006
- "Understanding Character Development" The Writer (cover feature), December 2006
- "Monday Morning" critiquemagazine.com 2005
- "The Paperboy Cometh on The Wrong Day" Toronto Star, August 2000
Book Reviews for Globe and Mail
- Now You See Him by Eli Gottlieb, March 2, 2008
- Gentlemen of the Roadby Michael Chabon, November 10, 2007
- The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold, October 20, 2007
- What Happened Later by Ray Robertson, September 2, 2007
- The Gravedigger's Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates, June 23, 2007
- Ragged Islands by Don Hannah, January 20, 2007
- Birds In Fall by Brad Kessler, May 20, 2006
Ghostwriting
- Autobiography of Vietnamese-American war survivor; rights purchased by Random House U.K.
- Autobiography of Cuban-American refugee; rights purchased by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
