Q: I know you’ve started another mystery series, does this mean an end to Chloe Ellefson stories?
A: Absolutely not! I love the Chloe series, and the project is very personal to me. I’m passionate about the places and topics that I explore in the stories. Although Chloe and I are two different people, we have a lot in common. Each book is set in a new location, and features a new museum or historic site. That keeps the series fresh.
Q: I saw on your website that you have a new publisher that will be reprinting your books — why the change? Will there be new covers?
A: The publisher I had been working with for the first 10 Chloe Ellefson books closed its doors. Happily, I was able to find a new home with HenschelHAUS in Milwaukee. When the backlist is reprinted they will keep their original covers … and the cover for the newest book blends seamlessly.
Q: You have said that your book of poetry “Balancing: Poems of the Female Immigrant Experience in the Upper Midwest, 1830-1930” was inspired by reading diaries, memoirs and letters written by Wisconsin’s early Yankee and European women for 40 years. You’ve written poetry before, but is this your first book?
A: I’ve published individual poems in a variety of places, but this is my first collection. People often ask why I so often focus on immigrant stories. One reason is that I find immigrant stories endlessly inspiring. It was (and is) such a … daunting experience. Not every story has a happy ending, but all-in-all, people put their heads down and did what they needed to do. In the middle of the pandemic I needed … a special, positive project that might help inspire other people, too. I’ve been working on the collection for about 20 years, so it only needed some fine-tuning. The book came together pretty quickly.
