Denise is now a member of The Yellow Brick Road, a critique group for serious children's book writers.
Denise's Motto: Life Is Fodder for Writing
Writing Gives Purpose to Bad, Good, and Indifferent Events
Denise Harlow Timpko
I've wanted to be a writer since I was 3. So I became one. By day, I'm a technical writer. At night, I write fiction. After working for many years as a writer for publishing companies, associations, and corporations, I hope to be published as a fiction writer. Soon.
Fiction News
The Firma Twins and the Purple Staff of Death is the first in a series of humorous tween science fiction books about the part-alien, part-human Firma family. Told by Isis Firma, it introduces the Firma sisters, their unique family, and the special skills Isis and her twin sister Electra inherited. In this book Isis becomes the Wielder of the Purple Staff of Death, a powerful alien weapon.
Electra, the Shape Shifter, narrates the second book, The Firma Twins and the Flute of Enchantment, in which Electra must come to terms with her part-alien heritage.
In the third book, The Firma Twins and the Paisley Egg, Isis discovers the destiny of her family and the Squrlon, the aliens from whom the Firmas are descended.
A fourth book, The Destiny Twins, tells the story of Granddad Firma and his twin brother Marcus. Further books are in the planning stage.
A Quick Plot Summary of The Firma Twins and the Purple Staff of Death:
Identical twin sisters in Arlington, Virginia, must prevent aliens from feeding on the blood of human schoolchildren.
Reviews of The Firma Twins and the Purple Staff of Death (previously called The Firma Sisters and the Stake-a-tine of Death) from juveniles (not related to the author):
Richard Hrdy, age 10, an identical twin who lives in Arlington, Virginia
"Denise, I have to let you know that Richard (my 10-year-old) just finished The Firma Sisters and the Stake-a-tine of Death. He absolutely loved it. He read through the whole book in what was basically one sitting--he just couldn't put it down. (In fact, the only reason he didn't read straight through is that I didn't print out the whole book at first and he had to wait while it printed.) He's a big fan. Now he wants to know when your next book is coming out."
Judy Schramm, JMR Consulting
John Serger, age 11
“I think that The Firma Sisters and the Stake-a-Tine of Death is a great book. It has a fast pace throughout the book with many suprising [sic] twists. I also liked how the characters were so different and interesting. I tink [sic] that you ended the book in a way that set it up very well for a series. I really enjoyed reading the book.”
Xander Schaaf, age 12
“This book was great! I read it in one night. I can't wait for the next book to come out.”
Kathryn Glasow, age 11
“I enjoyed reading your book. It was very exciting and I can’t wait for the next one.”
Stefani Christieson, age 14
“I finished the book a few weeks ago, there wasn't really anything in the plot that didn't make any sense or was a dead end so well done! That's it! I love the plot of the book, it was very interesting and I wanted to keep reading.”
Reviews from adults:
"Timpko loves to spring the unexpected on her readers whether it’s a character with a surprising name, a treasure hunt in an exotic location, or just a wry bit of humor. Check out this author’s first book where a squirrel is calling the shots and identical twins find out there’s more to their family than they ever dreamed."
Glenda Zahller, a fellow writer
"It's a very suspenseful, 'what's going to happen next?' story with lots of dramatic action in each chapter, an intricate, well-developed plot, lots of description so I can really picture Isis, Electra, Kelly, nice little Willoughby, the evil rats."
Etta Johnson, a fellow writer on my critique group
"I finished reading your Stake-A-Tine novel. I LOVED it. I didn't realize you were so creative!!! You especially did a wonderful job with your chapter endings. The cliffhangers are amazing. I really liked it, and I'm sure any child who reads it will, too."
Felicia Ansty, a fellow writer
Chez Timpko Newsletters
I wrote my first newsletter when I was 13 and wrote many newsletters at various places where I've worked. Every year I write and publish a newsletter for my husband's and my holiday party in December. It reports on our activities for that year. Chez Timpko isn't the normal family newsletter most people publish. The following are ones I have in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) form:
E-mail address: denisetimpko@denisetimpko.com
Copyright 1999-2012 by Denise Harlow Timpko
All rights reserved
Fiction News
The Firma Twins and the Purple Staff of Death is the first in a series of humorous tween science fiction books about the part-alien, part-human Firma family. Told by Isis Firma, it introduces the Firma sisters, their unique family, and the special skills Isis and her twin sister Electra inherited. In this book Isis becomes the Wielder of the Purple Staff of Death, a powerful alien weapon.
Electra, the Shape Shifter, narrates the second book, The Firma Twins and the Flute of Enchantment, in which Electra must come to terms with her part-alien heritage.
In the third book, The Firma Twins and the Paisley Egg, Isis discovers the destiny of her family and the Squrlon, the aliens from whom the Firmas are descended.
A fourth book, The Destiny Twins, tells the story of Granddad Firma and his twin brother Marcus. Further books are in the planning stage.
A Quick Plot Summary of The Firma Twins and the Purple Staff of Death:
Identical twin sisters in Arlington, Virginia, must prevent aliens from feeding on the blood of human schoolchildren.
Reviews of The Firma Twins and the Purple Staff of Death (previously called The Firma Sisters and the Stake-a-tine of Death) from juveniles (not related to the author):
Richard Hrdy, age 10, an identical twin who lives in Arlington, Virginia
"Denise, I have to let you know that Richard (my 10-year-old) just finished The Firma Sisters and the Stake-a-tine of Death. He absolutely loved it. He read through the whole book in what was basically one sitting--he just couldn't put it down. (In fact, the only reason he didn't read straight through is that I didn't print out the whole book at first and he had to wait while it printed.) He's a big fan. Now he wants to know when your next book is coming out."
Judy Schramm, JMR Consulting
John Serger, age 11
“I think that The Firma Sisters and the Stake-a-Tine of Death is a great book. It has a fast pace throughout the book with many suprising [sic] twists. I also liked how the characters were so different and interesting. I tink [sic] that you ended the book in a way that set it up very well for a series. I really enjoyed reading the book.”
Xander Schaaf, age 12
“This book was great! I read it in one night. I can't wait for the next book to come out.”
Kathryn Glasow, age 11
“I enjoyed reading your book. It was very exciting and I can’t wait for the next one.”
Stefani Christieson, age 14
“I finished the book a few weeks ago, there wasn't really anything in the plot that didn't make any sense or was a dead end so well done! That's it! I love the plot of the book, it was very interesting and I wanted to keep reading.”
Reviews from adults:
"Timpko loves to spring the unexpected on her readers whether it’s a character with a surprising name, a treasure hunt in an exotic location, or just a wry bit of humor. Check out this author’s first book where a squirrel is calling the shots and identical twins find out there’s more to their family than they ever dreamed."
Glenda Zahller, a fellow writer
"It's a very suspenseful, 'what's going to happen next?' story with lots of dramatic action in each chapter, an intricate, well-developed plot, lots of description so I can really picture Isis, Electra, Kelly, nice little Willoughby, the evil rats."
Etta Johnson, a fellow writer on my critique group
"I finished reading your Stake-A-Tine novel. I LOVED it. I didn't realize you were so creative!!! You especially did a wonderful job with your chapter endings. The cliffhangers are amazing. I really liked it, and I'm sure any child who reads it will, too."
Felicia Ansty, a fellow writer
Chez Timpko Newsletters
I wrote my first newsletter when I was 13 and wrote many newsletters at various places where I've worked. Every year I write and publish a newsletter for my husband's and my holiday party in December. It reports on our activities for that year. Chez Timpko isn't the normal family newsletter most people publish. The following are ones I have in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) form:
- ChezTimpkoNews2001.pdf
- ChezTimpkoNews2003.pdf
- ChezTimpkoNews2006.pdf
- ChezTimpkoNews2007.pdf
- ChezTimpkoNews2008.pdf
- ChezTimpkoNews2009.pdf
- ChezTimpkoNews2010.pdf
- ChezTimpkoNews2011,pdf
E-mail address: denisetimpko@denisetimpko.com
Copyright 1999-2012 by Denise Harlow Timpko
All rights reserved