Connie Claire Szarke grew up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes (Minnesota). Her fiction reflects this place. Delicate Armor, Szarke's semi-autobiographical debut novel, is the coming-of-age story of Callie Lindstrom, a cheeky girl who shares a special bond with her father. Without a son, Will Lindstrom places his energy in young Callie, teaching her his love for the outdoors. Accepted into the world of men within her family and privy to their dreams and struggles, she learns to navigate waves of conflict and loss while realizing her own place in the world and passes from young girl to self-possessed woman. Delicate Armor is Callie's tribute to the land and to her microcosm of men. A Stone for Amer, Szarke's new novel and companion book to Delicate Armor, is now available through Itasca Books. Click on http://itascabooks.com/index.cfm?page=detail&isbn=978-0-9885363-0-2   Stone Wall is Szarke's stand-alone short—a love story set in Ireland, available for purchase from the author. For details, please send an email to   author@connieclaireszarke.com Website: www.connieclaireszarke.com

Szarke's debut novel, Delicate Armor, was selected as a 2012 Midwest Book Award Finalist in two categories: Historical and YA Fiction. Her poetry and short stories have won awards and publication in a variety of anthologies and magazines, including The Talking Stick, Dust & Fire, and Lake Country Journal Magazine.