Maria Pavlova was born in the second largest city in Bulgaria, Plovdiv. Her short story, “The Fire Dancer,” was first published in HSE’s Voice from the Planet. Her fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in Cezanne’s Carrot, Forge, Yellow Medicine Review, and Etchings. She has a degree in Slavic studies and has worked as a journalist for various Bulgarian newspapers. Maria writes essays, poetry, short stories, and novelettes, some of which have been published in the press. When she started working on her first novel, The Rival, Maria took a leave of absence so she could concentrate on the process of writing. The novel tells the story of a blind girl who simultaneously discovers love, life and the feeling for colors.
Maria works as a graphic designer and is finishing her second novel, The Dual Life of a Witch. Maria is married and has one daughter.
