Midwest Writers Room

BIO: Carol has an MA in Communication. She freelanced for newspapers and magazines. She did stand-up comedy and wrote and produced children’s plays. Orange Blossom Publishing released her YA Mystery, Early Summer , in 2022. Black Rose Writing published her middle-grade fantasy, Isasnora Snores , in 2019. Rowley Peters and the Lumberjack Ghost is Paur’s third children’s book. Paur is a member of SC...

BIO: Today we are interviewing Samantha Jacquest (jay-quest), owner of Blue House Books in Kenosha WI.  Sam grew up in Kenosha, graduating from the Communications Academy from Indian Trail, and went to college at UW-Whitewater majoring in journalism. After a year working in the newspaper industry, she went on to earn her Master of the Arts degree in Publishing from Oxford Brookes University in the...

BIO:  Author Peggy Joque Williams is a retired elementary school teacher. A Yooper by birth, Peggy grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; but having raised her family in Madison, Wisconsin, she considers herself a Cheesehead by choice. When not writing, Peggy indulges her passion for genealogy research. She has traced her ancestral roots to 10th century France and England. She is especially proud...

BIO: Steven has severe cerebral palsy. Morse code is how he writes using his head since he is unable to use his hands. Steven has a Bachelor of Science with a writing minor from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a Liberal Arts degree from Madison College. He is a client of The Purcell Agency. His books, It's A New Life! Mom Is Gone and I Found Love is available on Amazon. Currentl...

BIO: Malcolm McDowell Woods was born in Scotland to Irish parents and spent his childhood on the move, living in Derry, Northern Ireland, before emigrating to Canada and, ultimately, the United States. He is a freelance editor and writer and university lecturer and resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with his partner and their two dogs. Woods co-authored the book, Irish Wit and Wisdom , and was a co-...

BIO: Born and raised in Wisconsin, the author developed her passion for writing in sixth grade, courtesy of a first-year teacher’s creative writing assignment. The assignment was to write and illustrate a children’s book. The assignment was considered a big deal by the local newspaper, including a front-page article with pictures. The writing bug had bitten. Writing remained as an infrequent hobby...

BIO: Jennie Goloboy joined the Donald Maass Literary Agency in 2017, after six years at a Twin Cities-based literary agency. She has a PhD in the History of American Civilization from Harvard, and published a book based on her dissertation, Charleston and the Emergence of Middle-Class Culture in the Revolutionary Era , in 2016.  Her novel, Obviously Aliens, was published by Queen of Swords Press i...

BIOS: Jodi Kiffmeyer - Jodi is a native of northwestern Wisconsin who grew up begging her grandma for old family stories. That interest in family history eventually led her to the fascinating world of local history. Now she’s the one telling stories from her home in Eau Claire, where she also works as the archivist for the Chippewa Valley Museum. She’s published two books on Eau Claire history and...

BIO: Mary Wagner is a Wisconsin writer living in Sheboygan, and an award-winning essayist and children’s book author. She has been playfully compared to “Erma Bombeck…but in sexier shoes,” and described as “the Midwest’s answer to Carrie Bradshaw.” Wagner’s writing career started with reporting for both of Milwaukee’s major newspapers, and then shifted to magazine freelancing as she raised a young...

BIO: G. Anthony is a poet, writer, and creator of Nobody’s Words , a poetic memoir that reflects his journey of healing, transformation, and self-discovery. A Midwest native, G’s philosophy centers on stripping away imposed identities to embrace authenticity and inner freedom. G’s work is rooted in his experiences with mental health, resilience, and the power of creative expression. When he’s not...

BIO: Since graduating with a BA in Writing from Winona State University, Sally Collins’ work has appeared regularly in the Peninsula Pulse newspaper and Door County Living magazine. A semifinalist for the 2024 Wisconsin People & Ideas short fiction contest, her creative writing has recently appeared in Barstow and Grand and Feels Blind Literary. She lives in Door County, where she proudly serv...

BIO: Brian Reisinger is an award-winning writer who grew up working with his dad on their family farm in Sauk County, Wisconsin. He lives to tell the hidden stories of rural America and has been published by USA Today , Newsweek , Yahoo News , the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , PBS/Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Life,” The Daily Yonder , RealClearPolitics , The Hill , and elsewhere. Reisinger’s...

BIO: John Krause is the author of the Pudge Amazon series for middle-grade readers. A big fan of words, books, and libraries, John is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, a member of the Wisconsin Writers Association, and a Distinguished Toastmaster through Toastmasters International. When not writing or reading, he enjoys hiking, camping, and road trips. John lives...

BIO: Today we are interviewing Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong. Cathie is a literary agent at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency with nearly nine years experience in the business. A life-long lover of books, Cathie has vivid memories of the exact day she unlocked the secret code behind letters that, when combined, form words. Since then, it’s the rare occasion when you’ll find her without a book in her hand, a...

Bio: This Chapter Break episode features Patrick O’Donnell and his latest publication The Good Collar: A Michael Quinn Vigilante Justice Thriller Patrick O’Donnell, a retired City of Milwaukee police sergeant with 25 years of street experience, where he supervised various special units and investigated major felonies. He’s the author of ten books, including his upcoming thriller, The Good Collar....

Bio: Nick Chiarkas  is a frequent writers’ conference presenter, a Wisconsin Writers Association Board Member, and the author of nine traditionally published books: two award-winning novels, Weepers and Nunzio's Way, and seven nonfiction books. He grew up in the Al Smith housing projects on Manhattan's Lower East Side. When he was in the fourth grade, his mother was told by the principal...

BIO: Tom lived the first five years of his life in Friendship, WI. He wrote his first story, A Dog Named Beer , in the second grade, to the amusement of his fellow students. Tom went on to earn a MBA and Masters in Creative Writing. He then spent forty years in academic medicine programs and physician practices. Throughout it all, he never lost his passion for writing. After living in Los Angeles...

BIO : Marcy McCreary is the author of three published novels. The Disappearance of Trudy Solomon was a finalist for the Silver Falchion award for best investigative mystery. The Murder of Madison Garcia won the prestigious Society of Voice Arts & Sciences (SOVAS) award for best audiobook in the mystery category. The third book in the Ford Family Mystery series, The Summer of Love and Death , w...

Valerie Biel writes books for middle grade to adult audiences--stories inspired by her travels & insatiable curiosity. She's the author of the award-winning, Circle of Nine fantasy series--inspired by the mythology of Ireland, Beyond the Cemetery Gate—a YA mystery suspense novel, and the new book we'll talk about today. When Valerie's away from the computer, you might find her w...

Today we are speaking with Tracey Phillips. Tracey considers herself a serial artist who is an avid gardener, musician, piano teacher, artist, and author. She writes psychological thrillers and romantic suspense. Her debut, BEST KEPT SECRETS (Crooked Lane Books, 2019) won a Hugh Holton Award in 2018. She is a two-time finalist for the Claymore Award for best unpublished novel in ‘22, and ‘23. She...

Valerie Biel writes books for middle grade to adult audiences--stories inspired by her travels & insatiable curiosity. She's the author of the award-winning, Circle of Nine fantasy series--inspired by the mythology of Ireland, Haven—a contemporary middle grade story and the new book we'll talk about today. When Valerie's away from the computer, you might find her wrangling her o...

Mindy Quigley is the author of two lighthearted mystery series. Her latest, the Deep Dish Mysteries (Minotaur-St. Martin's Press) was a Woman’s World book club pick and has been featured in Parade magazine. Mindy's non-writing career is stranger than fiction, having taken her from the US to the UK, where she worked as the personal assistant to the scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep and...

Luella is the board president of the Wisconsin Writers Association, and is co-founder & co-host of WWA's podcast, Midwest Writers Room. She writes fiction and essays about culture, democracy, justice, and history. She is the author of the America This Week series on Medium and the creator of Mirror in the Sky, a virtual community that explores the top 100 novels, movies, and albums. Prior...

Bio: Doug is a lifelong Madisonian and has worked as a journalist for more than four decades as a magazine editor, newspaper columnist, freelance writer and book author. He spent 5 years as editor of Madison Magazine and almost 20 years as a daily newspaper columnist, first for The Capital Times, then the Wisconsin State Journal. In that time he was named Madison’s best writer or columnist more th...

Bio:   Bill is a professor of English at UW Oshkosh and the author of many books, including the forthcoming “Robert Bloch and the Psycho Century: American Horror from Lovecraft to King” and “Concept Album,” a verse novel about the music scene in New York City in 1981. His creative and scholarly writing is available in all of the usual places online and in local bookstores in the Fox Valley. He liv...