Illinois Authors

SterlingHouse, Pittsburgh, PA : 2010.

Outskirts Press, Denver, Col. : 2011.

"J.J. and her cousin, Sophie, decide to venture to Europe to discover their German roots. Because of an unbelievable flight complication, it takes them three days to even get to Europe, and then finding the tiny village of Hummersen -- tucked away between mountains of northeast Germany -- is an adventure all in itself. From there, they travel southwest to Wilgartswiesen. Discovering their ancestors' homeland would have been excitement enough, but actually finding living relatives (and many of them) is a dream-come-true. However, after "finding their roots," J.J. and Sophie travel on to Paris and Amsterdam, where they encounter one escapade after another. They endure an unbelievable "attic room" in Versailles and live through the chaos of European driving while in France. Paris is both a dream -- seeing the Eiffel Tour, Montmartre, and Notre Dame -- and a nightmare -- getting stuck on the commuter train, trying to flush the toilets, and attempting to find the hot water in the bathrooms. Holland offers its own set of trials and tribulations. Getting trapped in the Red Light District of Amsterdam and finding themselves stuck in a Safari Park are only a few of the capers. Based on true-life experiences, the book has an endearing quality that will allow the reader to become immersed in the excitement and adventures of traveling abroad."--Page 4 of cover.

SterlingHouse (CyntoMedia), Pittsburgh, PA : ©2004.

CyntoMedia/Sterling House Pub., Pittsburgh, Penn. : ©2005.

When J.C. tries to save her cousin Jacob from being hit by a car, they are both transported to the Underworld. They encounter pure evil in the form Wicker, the ruler of the darkness, who wants to keep J.C. underground forever.

PublishAmerica, Baltimore, MD : ©2005.

PublishAmerica, Baltimore, MD : ©2005.

Outskirts Press, Denver, Col. : 2012.

Teenager J.C. van Winkler and her friend, Smitty the ghost, are thrust back into time to save two Pilgrim children in Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1620. But their adventure becomes involved in not only the lives of the Pilgrim children but also in the lives of young Indians. Much to J.C.'s surprise, the Pilgrims as well as the Indians have all been involved in time travel, and so their new adventures take on a new dimension as they explore the Nation of Nadie, The Secret Land of Goji, the Netherworld, and the World of William Shakespeare.

Sterling House, Pittsburgh, Pa. : 2003.

Teenager J.C. Van Winkler travels to world cities across the centuries with her friend Smitty, a ghost who must do good deeds in order to move on.

Outskirts Press, Denver, Colo. : ©2007.

Following a crop failure in mid-19th-century German, Christian Pollmann develops a plan to emigrate to the United States. He and his family undertake the arduous voyage, made more difficult and dangerous by assumption of responsibility for two young stowaways and the presence of a murderer.

Hellgate Press, Ashland, OR : ©2018.

Outskirts Press, Denver, Col. : 2010.

Teenager J.C. van Winkler and her friend, Smitty the ghost, are thrust back into time finding adventure during the 1846 Potato Blight of Ireland, helping four stowaways on the ship Perseverance, bound for New York City.