John Carenen

John Carenen, a native of Clinton, Iowa, graduated with an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from the prestigious University of Iowa Writers Workshop and has been writing ever since. His work has appeared in numerous popular and literary magazines, and he has been a featured columnist in newspapers in North and South Carolina. A novel, "Son-up, Son-down" was published by the National Institute of Mental Health. His debut Thomas O'Shea mystery novel, "Signs of Struggle," was published in October of 2012. "A Far Gone Night" and "The Face on the Other Side," the second and third books in the series, continue the exploits of the enigmatic protagonist and the quirky characters of Rockbluff, Iowa. John’s recent novella, "Keeping to Himself" from Koehler Books, won first place in the 2023 American Book Fest for novellas and was also the first-place winner of the 2022 Pencraft Award in Fiction - Southern. John is a former English professor at Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina. He and his wife live in their cozy cottage down a quiet lane in northern Greenville, South Carolina. He is a big fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes and Boston Red Sox.