Our Reviewers
Please take a few moments to read the following biographies and find the reviewer(s) whose writing and reading interests best fit your book (specific reader interests are highlighted in bold text). We will make every effort to satisfy your request and will work with you to engage the best reviewer for your book.
Paula Mikrut lives in Naperville and writes memoir and short fiction. In a past life, she was an entrepreneur, worked in technology and finance, and designed and built custom furniture. Now, in addition to writing, she does freelance copyediting. She is interested in reviewing fiction (literary, contemporary, mystery, psychological thrillers, science fiction) and nonfiction (including but not limited to memoir, humor, psychology). She particularly appreciates female characters who do more than fall in love or call for help. She is a member of Chicago Writers Association, Off Campus Writers Workshop, and AWP and can be found at PaulaMikrut.com.
Josh Cohen received his B.A. in History from Tufts University and his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati. After 10 years in the legal field, he changed careers to focus on writing. He lives in Chicago, is an avid reader and writes poetry and picture books. He’s also working on a memoir. Josh is a member of SCBWI. He is happy to review most fiction (but no romance, sci-fi or fantasy please), children’s lit (picture books, MG or YA) and some non-fiction (preferably memoir, humor, sports or history). You can visit Josh online at https://www.theoriginaljoshcohen.com/.
Denise Roma is lifelong writer since she wrote her first poem from the perspective of a blind boy in second grade. In more recent years, she’s published short fiction in "After Hours," "Thread" and "New Town Writers Off the Rocks." Her novel, Grace Summit, is revised and out to agents (toes crossed!). She lives in Morton Grove with her big guy and their two dogs—Petunia, a new adult Boston terrier, and Hannah, a young adult yellow lab. Those three are her greatest assets along with her mom and sister. She would be interested in reading/reviewing fiction in the following categories: literary, adult and new adult. She also loves non-fiction and would be interested in reading/reviewing biographies and history books.
An independent writer, Greg Borzo writes books and freelances for the University of Chicago. His books include RAGBRAI: America’s Favorite Bicycle Ride; Chicago Cable Cars; Where to Bike Chicago; and The Chicago “L.” With a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University, Greg has been a full-time reporter and or editor at Modern Railroads Magazine, Traffic World, the Business Word, American Medical Association and Field Museum. He has won several awards, most notably Grinnell College’s Alumni Award and two Peter Lisagor Awards. Greg is an accomplished public speaker and conducts tours for the Chicago Cycling Club, Chicago History Museum and Forgotten Chicago. He lives in the South Loop to better enjoy Chicago’s culture and history; art and architecture; and music and museums (www.wheretobikechicago.com). Greg is most interested in reviewing books about history, transportation, Chicago, science, biography, bicycles and cinema.
Lisa Sherman is a writer, writing coach, and attorney. In addition to her JD, Lisa has a BA in English Literature and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction. She is a member of the Chicago Writer’s Association, Mystery Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America. Lisa is an avid reader and is open to reviewing most fiction including but not limited to: psychological thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, historical fiction, YA, and middle grade novels. For non-fiction, she prefers creative non-fiction and memoirs.
Casie Gambrel is an avid reader, traveler and blog writer living Chicago with her husband, daughter, and their dog, Magnus. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master's degree in Public Administration in International Management. She holds a Cambridge CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). She is curious, purpose-driven and always looking for interesting stories. As a trained improviser, she loves stories that put a different perspective on everyday reality. She is a member of the Chicago Writer’s Association. Casie enjoys reading non-fiction, especially memoirs and biographies, short stories, self-help, humor and travel writing, Children’s books and anything food-related. More information about Casie can be found on her website, A Dose of Zen, at www.adoseofzen.com.
Mike Freveletti is a poet and short fictionist living in the West Suburbs of Chicago. His work has appeared in print and online in places like Kind of A Hurricane Press, RiverPoets & Snapdragon Journal to name a few. He works in the insurance industry as a consultant specializing in project management and graduated from Illinois State University with a B.S. in Criminal Justice. He is interested in reviewing short fiction, poetry and novels (no romance, mysteries, thrillers or young adult please).
Kelly Fumiko Weiss lives in Chicago and works in IT management at a large Chicago non-profit organization. She is a novelist and an award-winning serial fiction writer. Her novel, The Cube, was published in 2018 and her serial fiction work can be found on Channillo.com. She has a BA in English and Hispanic Language & Literature from Boston University and an MA in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago. Kelly is interested in reviewing contemporary fiction including YA, genre fiction (particularly sci-fi or political thrillers), and women’s fiction. For non-fiction, memoirs only. Visit her website at kellyfumikoweiss.com.
Susan Gaspar is a New York transplant with a BA in Theater Arts and a minor in Communications from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Susan co-wrote the play "Sister B's Bingo Bonanza," a comedy in one act, that tours on a per-hire basis. She works at a marketing agency and for a couple small theater companies doing social media, copywriting/editing, and proofreading. Susan most enjoys fiction including: psychological thrillers, horror, suspense, historical, crime drama, and the paranormal, as well as plays, short stories, and children's books. For non-fiction, she reads biographies, memoir, humor, and travel.
Barbara Belford recently moved from the western suburbs to a condo in the Chicago loop to spend more time on writing. In her career in education in Aurora, Illinois she’s been a classroom teacher, a reading teacher, a literacy coach, and a reading consultant. She’s incurably addicted to working with students, now volunteering in a CPS school in Bronzeville and consulting in Waukegan public schools while working on her middle grade novels. She has published four books: Canned and Crushed, The Gift, Crossing the Line (Christopher Award Winner, 2017), and Another D for DeeDee (Kirkus starred review). Her goal is to write books the students she’s taught will want to read, and one of her greatest joys was reading the ARC of Canned and Crushed to her former students who had promised they’d read a book if she wrote one. She earned her BA in English and Education, and her MA in Bilingual Literacy with endorsements in ESL and Reading. She’s a member of Chicago Writers Association, SCWBI, and ACWF. She reads all genres of middle grade and children’s picture books and realistic or historical YA. bibibelford.com
Florence Osmund, an Illinois native, grew up in Libertyville. After thirty years of living in downtown Chicago, she returned to the suburbs to a residence on beautiful Lake Miltmore in Lake Villa. After retiring from a long career in administrative management, Florence began writing novels and currently has seven published and one in the works. She published her first non-fiction book in 2020, How to Write, Publish, and Promote a Novel. In addition to Windy City Reviews, she has reviewed books for the Awesome Indies and indieBRAG organizations. While literary fiction is her favorite genre to read, write, and review, she will also review contemporary fiction, mysteries, coming of age fiction, dramas, mainstream fiction, family sagas, and young adult fiction. For those looking to hone their author skills, visit Florence's website/blog www.florenceosmund.com where she offers substantial tips and advice on writing and marketing books.
Wayne Turmel lives and writes in Lisle, IL. Since his first book of essays came out in 2003, he’s written 6 non-fiction titles and 2 historical novels; The Count of the Sahara and Acre’s Bastard. He will honestly review historical fiction, sword-and-sorcery, thrillers, and business or history non-fiction. No romance, hard sci-fi or religious genre works please. His website is www.WayneTurmel.com where he also interviews independent and small press historical fiction writers.
As a journalist, Dennis Hetzel says he sometimes was accused of writing fiction, but he really did it with his award-winning sports-political thrillers, Killing the Curse and Season of Lies. His latest novel, Azalea Bluff, will be published by Headline Books in early 2021. Hetzel grew up in Chicago and Hoffman Estates. After graduating from Western Illinois University, he began his career as a sports editor in Barrington and went on to gain national recognition as a reporter, editor and publisher. He also spent eight years as executive director of the Ohio News Media Association and taught journalism at Penn State and Temple universities. He now lives in Holden Beach NC and offers writing, editing and consulting services for authors, media outlets and corporate clients. Dennis enjoys reviewing fiction, particularly thrillers with political and legal twists as well as science fiction. His non-fiction interests include biographies, sports, American politics and science. Find out more about Dennis at dennishetzel.com.
Brian R. Johnston lives in St. Joseph, Michigan with his wife and two children. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Hillsdale College and a Master's Degree from Wayne State University. He is also a columnist for the Herald Palladium newspaper in Southwest Michigan and for the Wrigleyville Nation website. His first book, The Art of Being a Baseball Fan, is his story of following the 2015 Chicago Cubs and was released in 2016. Brian is primarily interested in reviewing nonfiction, especially sports, self-help, religion, biography, history, political science, and current events.
David Steven Rappoport is the author of two plays produced Off-Broadway. His comic mystery novel, Husbands and Lap Dogs Breathe Their Last, was published by Mainly Murder Press. In their review, Mystery Scene magazine said it was “as riotous as mystery novels get” and “a delightful journey into the weird." Tea at the Morgue, a radio play based on his short story, was produced by the Radio Theater Project. His short story, The Anonymous Donor, received Honorable Mention in the Al Blanchard Award competition for the best mystery short story set in New England, and is included in the anthology, Snowbound: Best New England Crime Stories, published by Level Best Books. His short story, Leftovers, was a winner of the Mystery Times competition, and is featured in an anthology of winning stories from Buddhapuss Ink. He is a graduate of the Master of Fine Arts: Creative Writing program at Goddard College. He prefers to review mysteries, and LGBTQ fiction and non-fiction.
T. L. Needham is an award winning author and a native of Kansas City. He lived in Glen Ellyn in the 1980s and in Romeoville since 2007. He is the author of the historic memoir, When I Was A Child, a collection of poetry, Pesky Poems, an illustrated children’s Christmas story poem, Kitty Claus, and The She Wolf, a science fiction-fantasy novella and his most recent book, THE BISCUIT & Timely Tales—a collection of short stories and poems with time as the common theme. He has also written an award-winning screenplay based on his book—When I Was A Child. He has a strong background in publishing and editing business media. He is an accomplished book reviewer, having completed more than one hundred-fifty reviews. He prefers to read and review science fiction, fantasy, historic memoir, and history books. You can learn more by visiting his website at http://tlneedham.com/.
Michelle Burwell grew up in Ohio and received her Bachelor’s in Journalism and Political Science at Miami University before moving to Chicago five years ago. She has written freelance pieces ranging from new tech to social justice. You can follow her non-fiction work at MichelleBurwell.com. Michelle also enjoys humor writing as well as narrative non-fiction, and is currently working on her first novel. Michelle enjoys reading narrative fiction and is particularly drawn to ordinary characters like Updike’s Rabbit Angstrom. Michelle loves living in Andersonville and likes to spend her free time rummaging through antiques or hanging out along the lake.
Andrew Reynolds is a native of Illinois and currently resides in Rochelle. He started writing out of an interest in space and a desire to spread that interest to others. After a decade of researching, writing, and editing a space-interest newsletter, he moved to writing a weekly opinion column in a local newspaper. Andrew is currently transitioning to fiction, with a first novel nearing completion. Andrew's interests in reading include science fiction, fantasy, and history.
eMMe Lecos is a writer, performance artist, and practitioner of the healing arts living in Illinois where everyday living often collides with mystical moments of hoo-ha. These are the events stuck between pages of essays posted on Medium and Elephant Journal. eMMe is currently turning a memoir into a one woman show. More about eMMe’s work may be found at emmelecos.com and as @emmelecos on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter. Reading choices are novels, creative non-fiction, narrative non-fiction, memoir, humor and self-help. The only reading exclusions are anything explicit.
Charles Kuner was born and bred in Chicago, and he received his B.A. in History at Roosevelt University. At Northeastern State University he earned two masters, one in Education and the other in Urban Sociology. Charles taught Social Sciences at Farragut Career Academy High School for 42 years. For the Chicago Teacher’s Union newspaper he reviewed books in the field of education. He has had articles published in professional educational journals on peer group counseling, death education, the value of career education, and the use of American autobiographies such as the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass to motivate student writing. Charles has written personal opinion columns for the Tribune, the Sun Times, and the Defender on many topics ranging from education to civil rights. He is particularly interested in the social sciences, classical music, sports, health/disease topics, and fiction.
Susan Fox graduated from the University of St. Francis, Joliet, and holds a certificate in technical writing from IIT in Chicago. She is senior assistant editor for Literary Writers Network, Chicago, works as a registered nurse at Presence St. Mary’s Hospital in Kankakee, and is a member of the Kankakee Valley Wind Ensemble. She is the author of Little Women of Baghlan: The Story of a Nursing School for Girls in Afghanistan, the Peace Corps, and Life Before the Taliban. Reading interest includes narrative nonfiction, biographies, and novels. Susan lives in Momence with her husband Ken. Her website is www.littlewomenofbaghlan.com.
Lisa Lickel lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin. A multi-published, award-winning novelist, she also writes short stories, creative non-fiction and radio theater. She is an avid reader, a top Goodreads book reviewer, a blogger, and a freelance editor. Lickel is also a mentor and instructor with Novel-in-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc., http://www.novelbookcamp.com, working with writers from across the US. Visit http://www.LisaLickel.com. She is an eclectic reader of any genre, fiction or non-fiction.
Gerry Souter was a judge for the Society of Midland Authors Annual Book Awards in the biography and memoir categories for two years. Since 1997, he has authored and co-authored 56 traditionally published non-fiction books in the following categories: U.S. History, Biography, Memoir, Military History, Fine Arts (histories and biographies), Young Adult, NASCAR, Computers, and Social Commentary. He was a 16-year member of ASJA and is a three-year member of MWA and CWA. He is involved in promotion, lecturing. and the business of writing with his wife and writing partner, Janet. His new Web Site is at www.avril1.com
R. H. (“Bob”) King, Jr., a Dartmouth College and the University of Michigan Law School graduate, is a partner in an international law firm. He has written two lengthy law review articles and some shorter pieces for local bar journals and trade publications. He recently published his first novel, a mystery/legal thriller, and has another in the works. In the fiction arena, Bob prefers mysteries, thrillers, science fiction, and literary fiction. In the non-fiction arena, Bob prefers biographies and memoirs. More information about Bob and his writing can be found on his website: www.rhkingjr.com.
Gail Galvan is a retired nurse and holds a B.A. in Health and Wellness Education. She is interested in reading poetry, fiction, short stories, and health/disease topics. Literary membership associations include: The Chicago Writers Association, Write-On Hoosiers, and The Northwest Indiana Poetry Society. For decades, she has visited writers’ groups to share poems and stories and also to receive and give tips on how to improve literary labors of love. She has been an editor for a college Health Ed newsletter and for the Denver Adoption Exchange newsletter. She has self-published over a dozen books. For more info visit www.gailgalvanbooks.com.
Julie S. Halpern has recently relocated to Chicago after many years of living and working in New York City. She has written feature articles and reviews for Classical Singer Magazine, the off-off Broadway Review and The Soul of the American Actor. Julie is also a performer, director and playwright and for ten years was Artistic Director of Love Street Theatre. Favorite genres include contemporary fiction, womens’ history, biographies and art/theatre/music.
Marcie Hill is a writer, blogger and speaker with 12 years of experience writing for corporations, publications and online properties. She owns four blog sites with topics on writing, blogging, South Side of Chicago, and roller skating, and she has written three blogging ebooks. Her most recent success, 62 Blog Posts to Overcome Blogger's Block, is available on Kindle. Marcie is most interested in reading non fiction. You can find out more about her writing successes and thoughts at www.marciewrites.com.
Paige Lorden Doepke is a graduate of DePaul University's Creative Writing program and full-time freelance writer. After working as the editor-in-chief of a Chicago start up in 2012, Paige realized she wanted to turn her hobby of writing into a career. She writes short fiction for various online magazines, namely Greasy Magazine and Purr Magazine, as well as movie and music reviews for local publications. An avid reader, Paige especially loves fiction and science fiction. The Great Gatsby, Franny and Zooey, and anything by Salman Rushdie are some of her favorites. To check out Paige’s work, visit paigelordendoepke.com.
Stephanie Medlock is a writer, journalist, and former academic administrator. Fantasy in all its various forms is her favorite subject. Stephanie loves the work of Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Alice Hoffman and Neil Geiman, but also adores history, and travel. The author of a magical realism novel, The Lives of Things, she has recently published memoirs and short stories in Feathered Flounder Magazine and Persimmon Tree. Given that life as Daenerys in The Game of Thrones seemed unattainable, she spent 25 years as an administrator at the University of Chicago, where she developed the nationally known publishing and editing programs.
Janet Feduska Cole is a native of southwestern Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Chicago with husband, Ed, a retired business executive, and two poodles, Elmer and Elsie. Her sons, Russell and Andrew, are a sociologist and a psychologist and author. After earning her MBA and certification in Technical Communication, she worked as a technical and marketing writer and editor for more than twenty years. In January 2013, Pegasus Books published her first novel: Cancelled: Stamps to Die For. She is an avid reader of mysteries and historical fiction and would enjoy reviewing books from those genres. Please visit her website at www.janetfcole.com.
Christine Collins Cacciatore is happily married, with three kids and a grandchild due any day. Her family gives her lots of good material to parlay into funny stories for her blog, The Life and Times of Poopwa Foley. Last year, she published Baylyn, Bewitched and her second novel Cat, Charmed was released in April of 2014. She is an avid reader and has been writing since high school. She loves to read fiction, any genre, including paranormal, chick lit, humor, and mystery. She is judging the In Print writing contests for 2013, and last year she was a judge in the Woman’s Guild writing contest.
Roxe Anne Peacock resides in Caledonia, Illinois and is the author of Leave No Trace, Fatal Catch, and History Lover’s Cookbook. History Lover’s Cookbook has been a top 100 paid Amazon Kindle Best Seller for most of 2013 in South and History. Currently, Roxe Anne is working on a science fiction series, a mystery series set up north, and another cookbook, Smokin’ Good Eats. Her works have appeared in Ghost Voices and Skirmish, a division of Dragoon Publishing in the UK. Roxe Anne belongs to several writing groups: Sisters in Crime/National, Sisters in Crime/Chicagoland, Guppies, Chicago Writer’s Association and In Print. She has reviewed award-winning authors Cindy Nord and Pauline Holyoak, along with several others. She is interested in reviewing books in the genres of mystery, suspense, thrillers, romantic suspense, historical romance, and cookbooks. Check out her Facebook Author Page.
Opal Freeman grew up as a fun-loving child in Chicago with a proud sister and parents. She shares with them a love of photography, chocolate desserts, and in depth discussions. Spending time with those close to her is one of her number one priorities. The types of books she is interested in include African American Inventors, Fiction, Non-Fiction, and books about other cultures. Her peers know Opal as an active board member for two non-profit associations Her reading, writing, and reviewing credentials include proofing and editing documents for conferences and published magazines for about 17 years.
Sierra Kay earned a Master of Arts in Writing from DePaul University and won a Nuyorican Poets Cafe Short Story Slam (www.nuyorican.org). She started her career as a corporate writer/editor. Kay currently writes poetry and fiction novels. She is primarily interested in reviewing women’s fiction, suspense novels and business-related non-fiction. However, she’s open to other genres. Her second novel, From Behind the Curtain, will be available Summer 2013. For more information, visit www.sierrakay.com.
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Serena Wadhwa will consider nonfiction books, science fiction, psychological thrillers, and books with personal growth themes. She is currently working on publishing her first book on stress management, reduction, and prevention techniques. To learn more about her, visit her website at http://www.triqualiving.com/.
Renee James welcomes commercial fiction--mystery, suspense, legal, etc.--and literary fiction that has a plot and entertainment value. She'll consider other fiction and non-fiction. She once reviewed popular fiction for a book marketing company as a hobby. She was a magazine editor for many years covering technical and political subjects for consumer and trade audiences and now works full-time as a free-lance writer. Her first novel, Coming Out Can Be Murder, was published in 2012 and won the Chicago Writer's Association Book of the Year Award for non-traditionally published fiction. Coming Out is also a finalist in the ForeWord Reviews book of the year competition for independent publishers and authors in the LGBT category. She is working on her second novel now. Her website is reneejamesauthor.com.