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Maureen Wlodarczyk (past-forward.com) is an author, columnist, genealogist & member of the Irish-American Writers and Artists group. She received Excellence-in-Writing awards from the International Society of Family History Writers & Editors in 2014 and 2015.
An admitted history addict, Maureen searches for true stories of people and events lost to time, rediscovering and sharing those tales of 19th century immigrants, entrepreneurs, social activists and people persevering in the face of daily challenges.
Maureen currently writes a genealogy column "History & Mystery: Perfect Together" for the e-magazine Garden State Legacy. She is also a contributing writer for the e-magazine Irish Lives Remembered.
Maureen is the author of 5 books:
-Scarlet Letter Lives, historical fiction spanning the 19th & early 20th centuries based upon the true lives of 3 Southern families that intersect in one woman who will tell their stories and then reveal the secret that defined her own life.
-Young & Wicked: The Death of a Wayward Girl, is the true story of star-crossed first generation Irish-American lovers, young petty criminals who fled to the Bowery in New York City in 1893 to avoid arrest where their life together met a violent end.
-Canary in a Cage: The Smith-Bennett Murder Case - In 1878, a Jersey City policeman is found bludgeoned and stabbed to death in his own bed, supposedly while his young wife lay beside him unaware. Suspicion immediately falls on the wife and her suspected teenage paramour.
-Past-Forward: A Three-Decade & Three-Thousand Mile Journey Home is the story of her 30-year search for her grandmother's Irish ancestral roots and the surprising and poignant discoveries made along the way.
-Jersey! Then . . . Again, a collection of 36 short stories about New Jersey historic people and events. Suffragettes, boxers, hurricanes, gangs, hot air balloonists, con artists, politicians, inventors, women in the war effort, military heroes and more.
Reviewed by Tracy Slowiak for Readers' Favorite
In an absolutely wonderful work of fiction with a very interesting true historical basis, Scarlet Letter Lives by author Maureen K. Wlodarczyk follows the story of the owners of three copies of an 1850s release of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The books start out in the hands of three diverse characters; a teenaged boy who will likely end up fighting in the Civil War, the daughter of a sea captain, and a man from Virginia now living in New Orleans. The story follows each of the books' journeys down from the hands of the original owners and through their descendants in an interesting, charming, heartwarming and at times heartbreaking tale that will stay with readers long after the story is done.
I loved this book. Loved. It. I am not sure exactly how I could give it a higher review than that. Scarlet Letter Lives took a creative and unique turn in following the progression of ownership of the three books, and used that technique to introduce readers to characters so well-drawn and realistic that you will feel as if you are reading about friends you truly care about. Author Maureen K. Wlodarczyk has done a fantastic job in crafting characters and settings that will make readers feel as if they have simply slipped through the pages and into the scenes. If that isn't a hallmark of a wonderful writer, I don't know what is. Any reader who likes a lovely work of fiction with a unique historical basis will love Scarlet Letter Lives. I highly recommend this book, and am very much looking forward to reading more from Maureen K. Wlodarczyk as soon as I possibly can!
