• Write for Suite101
• Sign In

• Home
• Profile

Jo Harrington - Georgia Langley

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be the Queen. It seemed like a job with lots of travel and the ability to wear some nice tiaras. No-one had the heart to tell me about the technicality of having to be born as heir to the throne. Once I'd worked it out for myself, I decided that I wanted to be a writer instead. In retrospect, being a writer is a much better option than being the Queen. You still get to travel, but without the boring banquets and having to feign interest in state events. Plus you get the moral high ground of not having ancestors who started wars.

Making a living out of writing is a childhood dream come true. It's been a strangled route here. I was doing ok with editing the high school magazine, then real world work experience with a couple of local, free newspapers. I also managed to get a couple of poems and a short story in anthologies. After school, I was Sammy the Squirrel, the children's page editor of a local newspaper. The proper journalists advised me to get my degree.

Three years later, I emerged with a BA (Hons) in History with Philosophy. My dissertation examined the reasons why the Gypsy genocide, under the Nazi Regime of the 1930s and 1940s, became part of the 'forgotten Holocaust'.

After University, my career path wove through debt collection and a psychic research foundation (the former was the more surreal); before heading back to the same university as a member of staff. In between routine administration, I organised the Holocaust Memorial Day and 100s of events designed to entice working class people into higher education.

Whilst holding down this busy full time job, I also studied for my Masters degree part-time. I passed and my dissertation, investigating the history of British Wicca, was immediately published. A Pagan book company had been following my progress very closely and had leapt on the offer of printing it, as soon as it became available.

Finally I returned to my first love - writing! For over a year, I was the website content writer and blogger for Endless Tours, an agency based in Mexico.

In between, I have found time to write a Runescape blog and lots of fiction. I also write for Wizzley, as well as reviewing books, music and films at Jo's Library.

Suite101 Credentials and Milestones

I joined Suite101 in August 2011. So far, I have written over 120 articles in a variety of categories. A large proportion of these have been featured in their respective categories.

In November 2011, I received an Editor's Choice Award for Torchwood Miracle Day: Reflections at the End of Series 4. The following day, I was promoted to Feature Writer.

In December 2011, I received another Editor's Choice Award for Should Amy Goodman Get a Pulitzer Prize for Troy Davis Coverage?

In January 2011, I received my third Editor's Choice for #testittuesday - The UK Fire Service Use Twitter for Home Safety