Craig Faris

CRAIG FARIS Creative Writing & Publishing Bio

Craig Faris is a forty-five-time award-winning author of fiction and plays, including published credits. Four of his stories won Best of Issue awards in the 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003 editions of the South Carolina Writers Workshop anthology. He has been published twenty times. Five of his short stories have won the South Carolina Carrie McCray Literary Regional Award for Best Short Fiction, and his novel, The Spectrum Conspiracy won the 2016 Gold Metal for Best Suspense Novel in the Readers Favorite International Book Awards. It also won Best Suspense Novel in the 2016 Beverly Hill's International Book Awards. It won Best First Novel Manuscript in the 2010 Carrie McCray Literary Regional Award, was one of Seven finalist in the 2014 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion International Awards, a competition that included authors Jeffery Deaver, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. It was a also shortlist finalist in the William Faulkner/Wisdom Pirates Alley International competition in 2012, 2010 and a semifinalist in 2011.

Craig served on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Writers Workshop from 2000 until 2007 and served as co-chair for the 10th annual and 16th annual SCWW Writers Conferences. He also served as Vice-President of the Southeast chapter of the Mystery Writers of America from 2000 until 2005. He has taught creative writing as an adjunct professor at Winthrop University, currently teaches digital graphic design at York Technical College, and designs professional book covers for his publisher. His graphic design works have won three national and regional design awards, the printing industry's PICA awards, and the Scholastic Arts Gold Key Award.

His writing career began in 1998 when he completed a 226,800-word unpublished suspense novel trilogy. His second thriller, entitled, The Spectrum Conspiracy, was published by Bella Rosa Books in 2013. The novel has since received nine literary awards, and over 92% five-star combined reviews on Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Books-A-Millon.com and GoodReads.com. Ted Tally, the Academy Award winning screenwriter of The Silence of the Lambs, called it, “A wild, white-knuckle ride, pedal to the metal right from page one, never letting up. A very impressive novel in ambition and scope, with intricate plotting, relentless pacing, action-filled, with technical and procedural details that bring real authenticity to the story. Bravo for writing this outstanding thriller!”

Craig lives in Rock Hill, SC with his wife, Deena. They have two grown children, Katie and Charlie.

Published credits:

Echoes from the Ether, Best of Issue, 1999 Horizons, Anthology Collection, (juried regional competition)

Dawn’s Last Gleaming, Best of Issue, 2000 Horizons, Anthology Collection

Last Run to Broad River, Honorable Mention, 2001 Horizons, Anthology Collection

Chaney’s Gold, Best of Issue, 2002 Horizons, Anthology Collection

Through a Perilous Plight, Honorable Mention, 2002 Horizons, Anthology Collection

Broken Anvil, Best of Issue/Plays, 2003 Catfish Stew, Anthology Collection (juried regional competition)

Cinders in the Attic, Honorable Mention, 2003 Catfish Stew, Anthology Collection

Guatemala, Third Place, 2004 Catfish Stew, Anthology Collection

A Catfish Stew, Third Place/Plays, 2004 Catfish Stew, Anthology Collection

Drowning the Agent, Article, April 2002, The Quill, Published by the South Carolina Writers Workshop

Drowning the Agent, Reprinted June 2002, The Scarlett Letter, Mystery Writers of America

Drowning the Agent, Reprinted Oct. 2003, The Midwest Chapter, Mystery Writers of America

The First Book, Article, June 2003, The Quill, Published by the South Carolina Writers Workshop

The Wrong Way to Get Published, Article, April 2003, The Scarlett Letter, Mystery Writers of America

Silent Assault, 2005 Catfish Stew, Anthology Collection

Big Daze, 2005 Catfish Stew, Anthology Collection

Den of Rhyme, 2020 SCWA Catfish Stew, Anthology Collection, 2022 Cotton Alley Review

The Ground Before Zero, 2020 Cotton Alley Writers’ Review

A Den of Rhyme Short Story Collection, Published by Bella Rosa Books 2022

Additional Literary Awards:

Silent Assault, 1999 Carrie McCray Literary Award for Best Short Fiction (State-wide juried competition)

Souls of the Abyss, 2000 Carrie McCray Literary Award for Best Short Fiction

A Pretty Good Year, 2000 Carrie McCray Literary Award for Best Nonfiction/Essay

Chaney’s Gold, 2001 Carrie McCray Literary Award for Best Short Fiction

A Special Place in Hell, 2011 Carrie McCray Literary Award, 3rd Place Nonfiction

Den of Rhyme, 2014 Finalist, William Faulkner/William Wisdom Short Story Competition, 2012 Semifinalist

Forth Place, York County Arts Council’s Literary Competition 2021

House of Ruth, 2005 Carrie McCray Literary Award for Best Short Story

Fourth Place, (out of 11,800 entries) 80th Annual Writers Digest International Writers Competition 2011

Honorable Mention, (28th place out of 19,500 entries) 76th Annual Writers Digest International Competition 2007

Shortlist Finalist, William Faulkner/William Wisdom Pirates Alley Competition 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014

Second Place, York County Arts Council’s Literary Competition 2014

The Ground Before Zero, 3rd Place, York County Arts Council’s Literary Competition 2020

The Spectrum Conspiracy, 2010 Carrie McCray Literary Award for Best First Chapter in a Novel

2010 Shortlist Finalist, William Faulkner/William Wisdom Pirates Alley Competition

2011 Semifinalist, William Faulkner/William Wisdom Pirates Alley Competition

2012 Shortlist Finalist, William Faulkner/William Wisdom Pirates Alley Competition

2012 Semifinalist, Killer Nashville Claymore Thriller Competition (11th place)

2012 Book trailer, 2nd Place, MARSocial International book trailer competition.

2014 Finalist (1 of 7), Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards, a contest with over 1,000 entries from major authors

2016 Best Suspense Novel, 4th annual Beverly Hills International Book Awards

2016 Gold Metal for Best Suspense Novel, Readers Favorite International Book Awards