ABOUT ME
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THE SHORT VERSION
I'm a professional writer turned novelist. As a first-generation American, I'm compelled to share my heritage and family stories through richly woven narratives, connecting history to personal lived experiences and helping readers discover resilience, hope, and the enduring power of the human spirit.
My first novel, Waltraud: A True Story of Growing Up in Nazi Germany, began as a desire to preserve my mother's memories, and I never expected it to span the globe or that I'd speak at more than 200 events. Now, I've written a sophomore novel, The Harvest Keeper: Based on a True Story of Surviving Stalin's Holodomor Famine in Ukraine. It stems from my father and grandmother’s experiences, shining a rare light onto one of the most devastating and overlooked tragedies of the 20th century.
Sharing these stories, and encouraging others to tell theirs, has become my life's calling. Stories change lives.
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I'm available for book clubs, book signings, and speaking at events where I'll shamelessly talk about my family's incredible stories.
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THE NOT-SO-SHORT VERSION
Stories matter. Since I was a small child, I've taken my vivid imagination and turned those ideas into stories. I can recall coming up with new lyrics to melodies at the age of five, and writing short stories before the age of 10.
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One of the main sources of my stories is my parents. Sadly, they're not here to tell them anymore, but I spent years collecting them, traveling to Germany, interviewing relatives, and researching everything I could get my hands on. I'm a first generation American—my parents immigrated to the United States in the early 1950s. Before then, my mother grew up in Nazi Germany. All those stories have been crafted into a novel about her life...
Waltraud — A True Story of Growing Up in Nazi Germany
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My father was born in Ukraine and lived through unimaginable oppression under Josef Stalin's barbaric rule. My latest novel, The Harvest Keeper: Based on a True Story of Surviving Stalin's Holodomor Famine in Ukraine, shares my grandmother's plight to save her children, including my father, in the early 1930s.
In a land far away and more than a decade ago, I wrote my first book, A Perennial Life — Finding Purpose in Every Season. It is a faith-based memoir of my own life. Like many, my childhood was peppered with painful struggles and, in my young adult life, I battled a life-threatening eating disorder that almost ruined me, my marriage, and my faith.
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After a long journey of healing, I found solace in composing heart-gripping stories, songs, and anecdotal life lessons that offer hope, healing, and a bit of humor to others who are on their own paths toward healing. I like to think I have a knack for finding meaning and significance in the everyday situations of life, especially through nature.
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Perhaps that's because I have an insatiable appetite for gardening. It borders on obsession, really, and I enjoy sharing horticultural wisdom as I stroll through my yard with friends, (but you’ll have a hard time getting me to share my hostas). Seriously, I have a problem... and the only cure is more hostas.
The love of nature and gardening stems from my mother's influence. I blame her.
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I'm deeply in love with my husband, Paul, and as we inch toward forty years of marriage, we've fallen into a delightful yet unassuming routine of exploring the deep north woods, going for drives along country roads, and taking long Sunday afternoon naps — not necessarily in that order.
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In my former life, I performed original music throughout my home state of Wisconsin, but you'll still find me humming tunes while pulling weeds. Professionally, I've helped others write and tell their own stories through various articles, books, and blogs. Now, it's my turn.
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AVAILABLE TO SPEAK FOR:
Book Signings | Readings | Book Clubs | Conferences | Festivals
Church Events | Women’s Retreats
Garden Parties | Garden Clubs
*Nonreligious or faith-based presentations are available to accommodate your needs.