Instagram, Book Reviews, and You – by Elizabeth Rynecki
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January 22, 2019

Social media gives us new ways to connect with others and pursue our interests, which can include following our favorite authors, publishers, and bookstores. While it may seem an unlikely place, Instagram is one of these platforms with a rather large book-loving community. Recently, I became the new admin behind the Swenson Book Development Instagram account, but of course, there are many others in the… [Read More]

Behind the Search for a Legacy – an Interview with Elizabeth Rynecki
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May 22, 2018

Many people all over the world have families who have been affected by the events of World War II. Elizabeth Rynecki is one of those people. Her great-grandfather Moshe Rynecki “depicted the everyday lives of the Polish-Jewish community in his art,” but sadly, he died in a concentration camp and most of his art was lost in the war. Elizabeth Rynecki’s book, titled Chasing Portraits:… [Read More]

What to blog about?
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January 23, 2018

Does an author really need to blog? Not necessarily. If you are writing fiction or a children’s storybook, probably not. If you’re writing nonfiction or memoir, probably so. To answer the question, you must ask yourself whether you can reach the audience who will buy your book with a blog. Children rarely make consumer choices about books, but their parents do. Tina L. Peterson wrote… [Read More]

Searching for Moshe Rynecki
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September 26, 2017

Elizabeth Rynecki is the author of Chasing Portraits: A Great-Granddaughter’s Quest for her Lost Art Legacy published by NAL/Berkley/Penguin Random House in September 2016. An odyssey spanning generations, decades, and countries, Chasing Portraits is the true story of Elizabeth Rynecki’s search for the lost art of her great-grandfather, Moshe Rynecki. His unique paintings focused primarily on the Jewish-Polish community in Warsaw between the first and… [Read More]

Fox Cities Book Festival October 9-15
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September 12, 2017

Connecting writers and readers for ten years, the Fox Cities Book Festival celebrates books, ideas, stories, and community in the Fox River Valley this October. In January 2017 I joined the board and have been excited about this year’s new developments. This is the first year the festival will be held in the fall instead of the spring. The Fox Cities Reads program—one book one… [Read More]

Three Book Giveaway
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July 25, 2017

Summer is for reading. And this summer World War II has never seemed more relevant. To reward reading and reflection on this history, Swenson Book Development LLC is offering a three book giveaway. Marcel’s Letters, Chasing Portraits, and Shot from the Sky are the three titles by author clients who have agreed to reward one lucky winner with all three books. To register to win,… [Read More]

Author Shelfies
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June 27, 2017

Good writers don’t happen by chance. Chances are they draw from their favorite books to craft their own. What’s on your shelf? We encourage you to post your shelfie in the comments below and on Instagram. Six of our authors with forthcoming or new releases shared what is on their bookshelves, giving you an inside look at the books they’ve been reading. Check out their… [Read More]

Q & A with Elizabeth Rynecki
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May 30, 2017

Chasing Portraits: A Great-Granddaughter’s Quest for Her Lost Art Legacy by Elizabeth Rynecki, is the story of her search for the art of her great-grandfather, which disappeared after he was killed in the Majdanek concentration camp. Moshe Rynecki’s body of work reached close to eight hundred paintings and sculptures, which he created between the First and Second World Wars in Warsaw, Poland. Recently, I interviewed… [Read More]

Reading WWII and Thinking About Tomorrow
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January 10, 2017

It’s no secret, I like history. It offers us lessons about the future. You won’t be surprised then to hear this past year I’ve read a lot of books about the years in Europe leading up to WWII. From Richard Halliburton’s world adventures as a swashbuckling celebrity travel writer in American Daredevil by Cathryn Prince to the international search for the incredible artwork of Moshe… [Read More]

Gratitude for Great Works
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November 29, 2016

As the year begins to come to a close, the Thanksgiving holiday reminds me of how much light there is in my life. I live in a community that reads, celebrates books, and supports literary artists and libraries. Books are something I feel passionately about and I’m grateful to have made them my calling, my livelihood, in this chapter of my life. For her skills… [Read More]