Special News!  On June 10, I’ll be co-leading a special Old World Wisconsin tour.  We’ll be visiting many of the locations featured in Old World Murder and The Heirloom Murders.  And I’m giving away a pair of tickets!  You can find more info about the tour and contest on my blog.


Welcome!  And thanks for stopping by.  Poke around, see what’s new, and let me know what I can do to make the site more helpful or informative.


I hope you’ll also visit my blog, Sites and Stories, which focuses on historic sites and places, and the stories they inspire.  To keep up-to-date on writing and book news, join me on Facebook.


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Most of all, please know that I love hearing from readers, in whatever form works best.  I’m one of those fortunate people who gets to work at what they love.  Readers make that possible.  I’m grateful!

FOR YOUNG READERS


I’ve written twenty novels for kids and teens, including five books about the Civil War and eight mysteries for American Girl.  These books have been honored with awards from the Council of Wisconsin Writers, the Society of Midland Authors, and St. Andrews Presbyterian College.  They’ve also been finalists for Edgar, Agatha, and WILLA Awards.


Big news:  In September, American Girl will release their newest Historical Character--and I wrote the books!  (And yes, there will be a doll too!)

FOR ADULT READERS


The Heirloom Murders is the second Chloe Ellefson Mystery, published by Midnight Ink.  Check my Calendar--I’d love to see you at an event.


Working for Old World Wisconsin, Chloe Ellefson delights in losing herself in antiques and folk traditions--and forgetting her messy love life.  Then the outdoor ethnic museum becomes a murder scene.  Does the missing Eagle diamond, a legendary gemstone unearthed in 1876, have anything to do with it?  Could Simon Sabatola, a rich AgriFutures executive who possibly drove his wife to suicide, be responsible?  Chloe learns that some things never change in this compelling mystery of old-fashioned greed, Swiss green cheese, and a nearly-extinct heirloom flower.


The Heirloom Murders is available in trade paperback from your favorite bookseller.  Ebook editions are also available for Kindle, Nook, and other platforms.

FOR All READERS


This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam!


Too Afraid To Cry, for teens and adults, reveals what women, children, and men experienced as war exploded on their doorsteps.


The research for that book also led to several historical novels, including The Night Riders of Harpers Ferry and The Bravest Girl in Sharpsburg.  Both of those are appropriate for about fifth grade and up (lots of adults enjoy them too).