My first novella,"Eva Galuska and the Christmas Carp" is available from Xlibris. Order your copy now in time for the holidays!  Autographed copies are also now available from the Author's Den.

Last weekend I was in Chicago over the weekend and received a warm welcome from the Polish Museum and D&Z Polish Bookstore.  Copies of my book are also available in the museum giftshop, as well at D&Z bookstore.  Their bookstore website is http://www.domksiazki.com/ 

My second novella, Through the Eyes of Love, is forthcoming.  This is inspired by a poem written by a famous Polish poet, Rev. Jan Twardowski..."Let us rush to love the people; they leave us so quickly."  These stories present short glimpses into lives, complicated by love. This book is intended to stress the importance of loving others  now, not waiting until it is too late. 

From an early age I loved writing, especially layering in concrete details, sensory images, symbolism, and colors throughout each piece.  Historical landmarks, especially those in Chicago, customs, folklore and superstitions are also common threads that run in many of my stories.

My 7th grade English teacher, Mrs. Saunders, was instrumental in the development of my writing skills.  By the time I reached college, I was well-prepared for composition and literature.  But a couple of weeks into my first university English course, the professor asked me to stay after class.  The minutes seemed like hours as I waited for class to end.  I thought my story must have been unacceptable.  Instead, Dr. Geoff Tillotson praised my work, especially the imagery, and he told me "with a little work, this piece could be published." From that moment on, I was determined to see my work in print. 

As a young child I became interested in the people and languages of Europe.  On a visit to a relative's house, I met the kids next door who spoke only German. By the time we were ready to leave, I thought I understood them and I thought learning another language would be fun. Years later, I studied German and Russian--and during a study abroad program near Vienna I learned I could easily pick up other languages just by hearing them.

At the same time my writing began to evolve and it manifested itself in many ways. I wrote my master's thesis on Romania's post-war economic transformation; in a Chilean journal I wrote economic forecasts and trendy business feature articles; feature stories for a newspaper; and had my own newspaper book review column. 

And now I have found my way back to short fiction.  I studied creative writing at the university and was fortunate to have two professors, David Stevenson and Tama Baldwin, who helped me find my voice and learn to shape my thoughts 

I was influenced by several greats writers, especially Stuart Dybek, A Chicago writer and poet, Charles Baxter, and Andre Dubus. Ultra short fiction became one of my favorites because there is nothing more challenging than being limited to 1500 words or less and writing a story that is "complete."  One of my personal favorites, published in The Binnacle, is my story "Ten Quarters, Five Dimes, Two Nickels, and Five Pennies," a 150-word ultra-short .

I won the Creative Writer's Society Narrative Fiction Award at Western Illinois University in 2006 for my story "Songbird."   This story and many others have appeared in the creative writing journals The Flavor of Ink , Doorknobs and BodyPaint, and The Binnacle. Two of my stories were published in anthologies published by Kerlak Publications: "Daylight" in Short Attention Span Mysteries and "Pictures from the Elsewhen" in Time Intertwined.  

When I'm not writing, I also work full-time as the unit coordinator of a university branch  library. 

Please check out the links, which will take you to some of my work.  I hope you enjoy reading my stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Best Wishes for the Holiday Season!