Midwest Writers Room

Chapter Break with Lorisa Wiedenheft

Luella and Ken

BIO:

With a background in Special Education, Lorisa Wiedenheft is now pursuing her dream career of being a children’s author. She has two poetry collections, Love Complications and Reflections, and her poetry has been featured in Creative Wisconsin, Bramble, and Remington Review

Lorisa enjoys matcha lattes, supporting the Milwaukee Bucks, and going to the beach. When not writing, she’s either curled up with a book, working on an embroidery project, or rewatching Gilmore Girls. Hailing from the Appalachian Mountains, she now lives in Wauwatosa, WI with her husband, two boys, and sweet dog Olaf.

SYNOPSIS:

It’s summer 1992 in small-town North Carolina. Ten-year-old Charly has had a rough life. Her parents died in a car accident when she was five. She and her brother Matty moved in with Granny, who is always strapped for cash. Charly shops for clothes at the Salvation Army, is bullied for being different, and struggles with anger issues. 

Then the unthinkable happens. One night their trailer catches on fire and burns to the ground. The family moves to a motel with sagging beds, scratchy sheets, and noisy neighbors. As they wait for the insurance money, Granny nearly collapses under the stress. 

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