Midwest Writers Room

This Chapter Break episode features Gregory Lee Renz and his latest publication BEYOND THE FLAMES published on 9/1/24. Gregory is an author and retired Milwaukee Hall-of-Fame Fire Captain. When he retired he thought he might like to write a novel based on the deep well of experiences his career provided. After only ten years of creative writing courses, conferences, and workshops, he published his...

Catherine Jagoe is a British American poet, essayist and translator. Her poems have been featured on The Writer’s Almanac and Poetry Daily. Her previous poetry collections include Bloodroot , News from the North , and Casting Off . Bloodroot won the 2016 Settlement House American Poetry Prize, the Council for Wisconsin Writers poetry book award, and the Wisconsin Library Association Outstanding Ac...

Kim is the author of the story collections Nothing to Lose and Close Call , both published by Cornerstone Press at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. Her work has appeared in many journals including at Midwest Review , Wisconsin People & Ideas, and Pink Panther Magazine . Kim is also Director of Red Oak Writing where she leads critique groups, provides individual manuscript feedback...

Amy Renshaw fell in love with mysteries as a kid, when she discovered Nancy Drew books in her grandmother’s attic. She admires strong women who courageously blaze new trails, both in real life and fiction. Strong Suspicions , the first book in the Sophie Strong Mystery Series, fulfilled her dream to create her own female detective. Amy’s day job is working as Senior Editor for Brilliant Star magaz...

Today we are talking with Laurie Scheer. Often referred to as the Media Goddess, Laurie works with writers and is involved in every aspect of writing - from conception to publication.  A former Entertainment Industry executive, Laurie analyzed manuscripts and scripts as they entered the competitive media marketplace. In her role as Faculty Associate and the Director of UW Madison’s annual Writers’...

This Chapter Break episode features Robb Grindstaff and his latest publication Bones of Dead Man’s Bluff . Bio : Robb’s journalism career took him from small southern towns to Washington DC, five years in Tokyo, and nine years in Wisconsin. He has five novels and a short story collection published with a small press. Robb is also a fiction editor and teacher, having edited more than 200 books, and...

Bio: Karol Lagodzki, a native of Poland, is an English-language author of fiction. His stories have appeared in numerous journals, and he has won Panel Magazine’s Ruritania Prize for Short Fiction. Controlled Conversations is his debut novel. He holds an MFA in creative writing and buys more books than he can read or afford. Karol’s non-writing careers have ranged from fixing stucco while dangling...

This Chapter Break episode features Lukas Klessig and his latest publication Words With My Father: A Bipolar Journey Through Turbulent Times .  Lukas edits and manages his late father Lowell's intellectual property.  He lives near Stevens Point and looks after the family's investments and real estate. Words With My Father explores how his father's bipolar disorder led to a perilous...

In this episode we touch on: Fear as a core component to writer's block Interviewing characters to appear in your book John DeDakis (de-DAY-kiss) is a novelist, writing coach, manuscript editor, and former editor on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." DeDakis is the author of six mystery-suspense novels. In his most recent novel, Enemies Domestic, protagonist Lark Cha...

David Nash is an author and singer songwriter from the Driftless Area writing emotionally driven, compelling, page-turning fiction. His novels include “The Man in the Pines” (Ten16 Press, 2020), “In Wells’ Time” (Unsolicited Press, 2024), and a yet-to-be titled dark fiction anthology about Northern Wisconsin and witchcraft (Unsolicited Press, 2026). He is a two-time finalist of the Iron Pen Contes...

Ever wonder what habits may be inhibiting your writing? Too much throat clearing or tautologies? How about filters? If you're not sure what those are, take a listen to this episode. Robb Grindstaff’s career as a journalist and media executive took him from Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, Washington DC, five years in Asia, and nine years in Wisconsin. He has five novels and a short story colle...

Charm City Crab Puff - Published April 2024 Pamela Kyel (pronounced Kyle) was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Thanks to the US Air Force, life has taken her from Maryland to Montana to Italy and points in between. As the spouse of a now-retired military member, she had a front-row seat to the military's workings and used that in her Charm City series. Special Agent Laci Duvall, AFOSI,...

Michelle Meyer is a poet and author of The Trouble with Being a Childless Only Child (Cornerstone Press, 2024) and The Book of She (2021), a poetry and visual art collaboration devoted to women. Recent work appears or is forthcoming in ONE ART , Autumn Sky , Tabula Rasa, Under Her Eye: A Blackspot Books Anthology, and Welter Journal among others. In addition, Michelle has written, directed, and pr...

A former professor of neuroscience, Mary writes fiction, memoir, and short stories. “Abbey Girls,” (published in 2015) is a memoir she wrote with her sister, Valerie Behan, about their childhood in Ireland. Her first novel, “A Measured Thread,” (published in 2020) is set in Wisconsin and Ireland, was named a Top 100 Indie Book in 2020, a finalist in the Page Turner Awards, and an eLit medal winner...

TK SHEFFIELD WRITES STORIES FOR READERS TO LAUGH AND ESCAPE. THE BACKYARD MODEL MYSTERIES ARE FUNNY WHODUNNITS, MYSTERIES SERVED WITH A BRANDY OLD FASHIONED AND CHEESE CURDS. THEY FEATURE MEL TOWER, A FORMER FASHION MODEL WHO USES HER SKILL AT SPOTTING “POSERS” TO SOLVE CRIMES. THEY’BE BEEN DESCRIBED AS LIKE “TAKING A WISCONSIN VACATION IN A BOOK.” THEY’VE EARNED AWARDS INCLUDING A KILLER NASHVILL...

Award-winning publisher Kira Henschel founded HenschelHAUS Publishing in 2002 after working as production manager at a small, independent press, preparing textbooks for McGraw Hill, Prentice-Hall, and 16 academic journals. She holds a master's degree in Engineering Management and bachelors' degrees in Geology and International Relations. Kira also taught at Milwaukee School of Engineerin...

Today we’re launching our Chapter Break episode series. These are a short-form version of our normal show and will feature authors speaking on their latest book publication, with insight to the story origin and an excerpt reading.  In this episode we’re talking with Sue Leamy Kies . Sue is a retired high school English teacher who lives in Platteville. After almost thirty years in the classroom at...

Today, we are speaking with Phil Schomber and Jamie Swenson from the Hedberg Public Library. Located along the Rock River in Janesville, Wisconsin, the Library’s mission is to build community by providing inviting spaces to discover, share, create, and connect. Hedberg Public Library’s third Annual Book Fest is scheduled for Saturday, June 22. The day will feature a variety of free, craft-focused...

Today, we are speaking with Patrick O’Donnell . Patrick O’Donnell is a retired police sergeant with 25 years experience with the city of Milwaukee Police Department. During his police career he worked exclusively on the street in patrol, and he participated and supervised different special units (anti-gang unit, licensed premise unit, violent crime task force, and armed robbery unit). He is now th...

Today, we are speaking with Catherine Young. Catherine is author of the environmental memoir Black Diamonds: A Childhood Colored by Coal and the eco-poetry collection Geosmin (pronounce: Jee’ ohz-min), the Midwest Book Awards Silver Medal winner. Her writing is published in literary anthologies and journals nationally and internationally and her work was solicited for the University of Wisconsin P...

April is National Poetry Month and today we are interviewing former Wisconsin Poet Laureate Max Garland. Max Garland’s newest book of poems is Into the Good World Again (2023). Other books include The Word We Used for It , winner of the Brittingham Poetry Prize, The Postal Confessions , winner of the Juniper Prize, and Hunger Wide as Heaven , winner of the Cleveland State Poetry Prize. He has rece...

Nicholas is a Thai-American poet from Wisconsin. Educated at the University of Montana (BA), the Iowa Writer’s Workshop (MFA), and the University of Denver (PhD), his work has been published over thirty times in various print and on-line journals. The author of two book-length poems, “North of Order” and “Book of Lake” his work has also received numerous national awards. The recipient of the Grist...

Today, we are interviewing Sharon Woodhouse. Sharon was a traditional indie book publisher of presses she founded for over 25 years: Lake Claremont Press and Everything Goes Media. She currently owns Conspire Creative, a book business agency serving small publishers and aspiring and established, self-published and traditionally-published authors.  Conspire Creative provides author business and mil...

Today we are excited to host author Tracey Sheffield, writing under the name TK Sheffield. She writes mysteries and screenplays for readers and viewers who want to laugh and escape. She grew up in Madison, but as a horse-obsessed teen, she bolted to the country as fast as she could. She has degrees from UW-Madison and Mount Mary University, and in addition to writing comic cozy mysteries—whodunnit...

 We have an industry episode today, featuring Bailey Yeager, Senior Manager at IngramSpark.  Bailey started at Ingram in 2014 and quickly transitioned into sales, working with Independent Publishers. She educated and assisted mid-sized publishers on utilizing Ingram's services to maximize revenue. Bailey developed programs and services for Independent publishers and focused on improving commu...