Award-Winning Author Charlene Wexler to Sign Books at Printers Row Lit Fest

April 29, 2012 - PRLog -- Charlene Wexler, author of the books "Murder on Skid Row" and "Milk and Oranges," will sign her books on Sunday, June 10, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Chicago Writers Association site at the Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago, IL.

The fest begins Saturday, June 9, and ends on Sunday, June 10, and will be held on Dearborn Street between Congress Parkway and Polk Street.

Milk and Oranges
"Milk and Oranges," Wexler’s latest book, is a collection of short fiction and essays examining life, love, and the tragedy and comedy of the human condition.

Whether she is tackling fiction or essays, Wexler writes from the heart. With a keen eye for detail and a way of looking at the world a bit sideways, Wexler’s writings in "Milk and Oranges" will entertain while they make you think.

In "Milk and Oranges," Wexler’s fiction and essays are grouped in five categories: How’s Your Love Life?, stories about romance; The Cruel Club, stories about the loss of a loved one; Family and Friends, about the fun characters in Wexler’s life; Animal Magnetism, stories about our four-footed friends; and The Passing Parade, fiction and prose observations on the changes in our fast-paced world.

"Milk and Oranges" is a collection of stories that will pluck at your heartstrings and tickle your funnybone. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LI....

Murder on Skid Row
It is August of 1966, and idealistic young dental school graduate Mel Greenberg opens his first office on Chicago's Madison Street Skid Row. "Spare any change?” and “I don't know nothing,” are the watchwords of the many characters he meets and treats. Everyone on the street has a secret.  Abe, the pharmacist, acts as a friend to Mel and the inhabitants of Skid Row, but Mel soon learns Abe has other reasons for staying on a street full of bums, drug addicts, gang members, and prostitutes. Mel thinks he can help the people there—until murders directly involving people he knows make him a suspect and show him the stark reality of Skid Row.

"Murder on Skid Row" was honored with a 2010 International Apex Award for Excellence from Communications Concepts, a writing think tank outside Washington, DC. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK4pmby4bO0.



About the author
Native Chicagoan Charlene Wexler and Richmond, IL, resident Charlene Wexler is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She has worked as a teacher and dental office bookkeeper and as “a wife, mom, and grandmother,” she said. In recent years, Wexler’s lifelong passion for writing has led her to create numerous essays as well as fiction.

Her work has appeared in several publications, including "North Shore Magazine," the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry’s "Vision" magazine, "Alpha Omegan" magazine, and the "Gazette" newspaper of Chicago.

She also has had essays and fiction published on the websites AuthorsDen.com, Cats and Dogs at Play, End Your Sleep Deprivation, Funny Cat Stories, Laughter Is My Medicine, One Bright Star, Scribd.com, True Cat Stories, and Way Cool Dogs.

“I have always used writing as therapy,” Wexler said. “Now I have the time and opportunity to pursue it as a career.”

Her short story "Abracadabra Magic," which appears in "Milk and Oranges,"  received a “Very Highly Commended” rating in the AuthorsDen.com Tom Howard Prose Contest, 2009.

Wexler is active with the Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity, the Authors Marketing Group, the Chicago Writers Association, Children’s Memorial Hospital philanthropy, Lungevity (an organization that fights lung cancer), the McHenry Bicycle Club, the Museum of Science and Industry, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Richmond IL Book Club, the Jewish United Fund, and the University of Illinois Alumni Association.

Her advice for other aspiring writers—even grandmothers like herself—is to “follow your dream. You can do it, and it’s never too late.”

For more information, go to http://www.charlenewexler.com.

Printer’s Row Lit Fest
The Printer’s Row Lit Fest is Chicago’s largest literary extravaganza. It attracts more than 200 booksellers from across the country displaying new, used, and antiquarian books, and featuring seven stages with more than 100 free literary programs. See http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/printersrowlitfest/.
   
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