Steve Barancik, a screenwriter born in Chicago, Illinois on September 23, 1961, made his debut with the screenplay Buffalo Girls, which was later released as The Last Seduction in 1994. The film, featuring the character of Bridget Gregory/Wendy Kroy, a cunning and enigmatic scam artist, premiered as an HBO movie and went on to achieve art house success. Linda Fiorentino's portrayal of the femme fatale earned her notoriety, while Barancik's screenplay was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award for best mystery/crime screenplay of 1994. In addition to his work in film, Barancik is also the founder and a regular performer in Monolog Cabin, a group of writers who perform comedic personal essays at Club Congress in Tucson, Arizona. He has also created websites dedicated to quality children's books and collecting the experiences of self-published authors.

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