Lydia Ponczak
Mystery
Lydia Ponczak is a retired Chicago schoolteacher who is presently program director and host of a community cable television program. She is very involved in volunteer work in the community, for which she has received numerous awards of recognition. She claims being chosen first runner-up in a Ms. Illinois Senior Pageant was one of the highlights of her life, but the best highlight in her world is her fantastic son, Glen, and her unbeatable daughter-in-law, Joni.
Lydia's pastimes include reading mysteries, polka dancing, and she has been known to pull the handle a few times at her favorite casino. She lost her precious son, Jeff, at a tender age, and recently she lost her favorite polka partner, Lee, her husband of many decades. She knows their essence remains at her side.
How I became a Writer
by Lydia Ponczak
I always wrote as a child, given grief by my classmates because my little stories assigned by our nun teacher always won first prize. In college, I wrote articles for the newspaper and as an adult did the same. Also, I put my short stories or vignettes in Christmas, birthday or anniversary cards for my friends and relatives. No one told me to stop, so I kept this up through the years.
I had been involved in writing groups but joining the Southland Scribes was the best move of my writing life. The published and experienced writers in the group motivated me and taught me more than all the writing courses I took in college and afterwards. When I was telling the group about attending a writing workshop that proved disappointing, published author Julie Hyzy said, “Don’t tell us about it, Lydia, write about it.” And I did!
As I wrote about the experience I was shocked that something took over. Before I knew it, I had Samantha and Harry and the Hunk . . . and just kept going from there. I couldn’t believe it myself! I heard at past writing seminars that this happens - the characters and story take over - but I never believed it till it happened to me. I am deeply grateful to Julie Hyzy and the Southland Scribes.
You can reach Lydia through her website at www.lydiasbook.com
Mystery
Lydia Ponczak is a retired Chicago schoolteacher who is presently program director and host of a community cable television program. She is very involved in volunteer work in the community, for which she has received numerous awards of recognition. She claims being chosen first runner-up in a Ms. Illinois Senior Pageant was one of the highlights of her life, but the best highlight in her world is her fantastic son, Glen, and her unbeatable daughter-in-law, Joni.
Lydia's pastimes include reading mysteries, polka dancing, and she has been known to pull the handle a few times at her favorite casino. She lost her precious son, Jeff, at a tender age, and recently she lost her favorite polka partner, Lee, her husband of many decades. She knows their essence remains at her side.
How I became a Writer
by Lydia Ponczak
I always wrote as a child, given grief by my classmates because my little stories assigned by our nun teacher always won first prize. In college, I wrote articles for the newspaper and as an adult did the same. Also, I put my short stories or vignettes in Christmas, birthday or anniversary cards for my friends and relatives. No one told me to stop, so I kept this up through the years.
I had been involved in writing groups but joining the Southland Scribes was the best move of my writing life. The published and experienced writers in the group motivated me and taught me more than all the writing courses I took in college and afterwards. When I was telling the group about attending a writing workshop that proved disappointing, published author Julie Hyzy said, “Don’t tell us about it, Lydia, write about it.” And I did!
As I wrote about the experience I was shocked that something took over. Before I knew it, I had Samantha and Harry and the Hunk . . . and just kept going from there. I couldn’t believe it myself! I heard at past writing seminars that this happens - the characters and story take over - but I never believed it till it happened to me. I am deeply grateful to Julie Hyzy and the Southland Scribes.
You can reach Lydia through her website at www.lydiasbook.com
Who's After Samantha
First in Series
Samantha can only be purchased thru contacting author at [email protected]
Suffering through twenty-five years of an indifferent marriage, Samantha Lisowski realizes that getting involved in a murder might just be the best thing that ever happened to her.
A retired Chicago school teacher, now a funny, flirtatious, spunky, non-typical fifty year-old suburbanite hosts a monthy community TV program while pursuing a writing career. That's Samantha Lisowski.
At a writing seminar in Chicago, she stumbles onto a dead body. When the killer believes Samantha can identify him, her own life is suddenly in danger. To make matters worse, she is stalked by and obsessed fan of her TV program.
Samantha flirts and clicks with Chicago Detective David Kelly, as he investigates the cases.
Husband Harry, whom she sarcastically calls Darling, doesn't participate in her many adventures. He blames Samantha for anything that upsets his boring, staid life.
Romping right through Samantha's dangerous dilemmas with her is her best friend and soul mate, Reenee.She offers support and encouragement as they keep everything secret from Darling Harry.
Interweaved in Samantha's harrowing life is a woman with a killer-look, a pip-squeak private eye, a happy-go-lucky person of questionable origin who has a secret, an unstable, identical triplet and Tricky-Dicky who is really sub-human.
The wild climax finds samantha at the stalker's house with the killer and a bevy of animals to boot. When the dust setteles and Detective Kelly offers Samantha an escape from her indifferent marriage, she must make a tough decision.
First in Series
Samantha can only be purchased thru contacting author at [email protected]
Suffering through twenty-five years of an indifferent marriage, Samantha Lisowski realizes that getting involved in a murder might just be the best thing that ever happened to her.
A retired Chicago school teacher, now a funny, flirtatious, spunky, non-typical fifty year-old suburbanite hosts a monthy community TV program while pursuing a writing career. That's Samantha Lisowski.
At a writing seminar in Chicago, she stumbles onto a dead body. When the killer believes Samantha can identify him, her own life is suddenly in danger. To make matters worse, she is stalked by and obsessed fan of her TV program.
Samantha flirts and clicks with Chicago Detective David Kelly, as he investigates the cases.
Husband Harry, whom she sarcastically calls Darling, doesn't participate in her many adventures. He blames Samantha for anything that upsets his boring, staid life.
Romping right through Samantha's dangerous dilemmas with her is her best friend and soul mate, Reenee.She offers support and encouragement as they keep everything secret from Darling Harry.
Interweaved in Samantha's harrowing life is a woman with a killer-look, a pip-squeak private eye, a happy-go-lucky person of questionable origin who has a secret, an unstable, identical triplet and Tricky-Dicky who is really sub-human.
The wild climax finds samantha at the stalker's house with the killer and a bevy of animals to boot. When the dust setteles and Detective Kelly offers Samantha an escape from her indifferent marriage, she must make a tough decision.
Renee on the Run
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 4, 2014)
ISBN: 978-1500382773
Available at amazon.com
or by contacting Lydia at [email protected]
This stand-alone sequel to Who's After Samantha? brings back best friends Reenee Solinski and Samantha Lisowski , who, in their 50's, are in dire peril from a criminal king pin they thwarted when in their 20's.
After college graduation, Reenee sets out to New York to pursue a career as a Radio City Rockette while Samantha remains in Chicago to teach grammar school. Pandemonium results when Samantha visits her friend in New York.
The story bounces back from the 1970's to the present time, unraveling the secrets of the past in the usual Reenee/Samantha frantic pace: Crazed Aiden Bretzon is released from jail and determined to seek revenge on the people, including Reenee and Samantha, who were responsible for his imprisonment. A delusional admirer of Reenee's can't stop him, but Detective David Kelly investigates on his own when he discovers his secret heartthrob is involved.
As usual, the women's husbands have no idea of their wives' involvement or the havoc about to explode in their secure lives. Do marriages survive or crumble after Reenee's and Samantha's harrowing, wild experiences?
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 4, 2014)
ISBN: 978-1500382773
Available at amazon.com
or by contacting Lydia at [email protected]
This stand-alone sequel to Who's After Samantha? brings back best friends Reenee Solinski and Samantha Lisowski , who, in their 50's, are in dire peril from a criminal king pin they thwarted when in their 20's.
After college graduation, Reenee sets out to New York to pursue a career as a Radio City Rockette while Samantha remains in Chicago to teach grammar school. Pandemonium results when Samantha visits her friend in New York.
The story bounces back from the 1970's to the present time, unraveling the secrets of the past in the usual Reenee/Samantha frantic pace: Crazed Aiden Bretzon is released from jail and determined to seek revenge on the people, including Reenee and Samantha, who were responsible for his imprisonment. A delusional admirer of Reenee's can't stop him, but Detective David Kelly investigates on his own when he discovers his secret heartthrob is involved.
As usual, the women's husbands have no idea of their wives' involvement or the havoc about to explode in their secure lives. Do marriages survive or crumble after Reenee's and Samantha's harrowing, wild experiences?