Meet Maureen

Maureen Gill is an educator, public speaker and author known for her insightful historical analyses, biting political commentaries and riveting fiction. Maureen has spoken before audiences at the MacLean Center for Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago, numerous universities, the Newberry Library, and various civic, religious and private groups as well. Maureen is a committed social activist and her areas of interest are human and civil rights, animal rights and healthcare reform.

Maureen trained in history at Loyola University Chicago and taught European and U.S. history and philosophy at Kankakee Community College and medical ethics at the College of DuPage; she was a part-time instructor in the Medical Humanities Department at Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine, where she taught seminars in the history of medicine and medical ethics, as well as the role the German medical community played in the Holocaust.

Her first novel, January Moon, is a gripping detective story about racism, religious fanaticism, mental illness, pure evil and undying love; it is also the first American work of fiction to situate female genital mutilation at the center of a crime story. Maureen treads easily over terrain lesser writers would not dare travel. Her disciplined style of writing, talent for research, remarkable ear for dialogue, and mesmerizing storytelling raise the bar in American fiction.

Maureen’s writing style has been compared to Michael Connolly, Pat Conroy and Lee Childe. Her fans say she writes with “jack hammer force,” “astonishing breadth” and “sardonic wit” but the praise she appreciates most is that her writing has been called “a gale force wind off Lake Michigan.”Born and raised on the north side of Chicago next to Lake Michigan, Maureen fully understands what that means. Maureen is quickly earning a well-deserved reputation as a powerful new name in contemporary fiction. Author and screenwriter Ryne Douglas Pearson nicknamed Maureen “The Windy City Author.” January Moon is the first book in the Del Carter Calendar Series and its sequel, March Storm, will be released in late 2012.

Maureen now lives in southern coastal Maine and is happily enjoying her new life in what she considers one of the nation’s most beautiful states. Maureen is a featured weekly OpEd columnist at the York County Journal Tribune, where she writes about important national and local issues. Maureen is also drafting what she calls a “history book for grown-ups;” titled Daylight& Déja vu, it’s based on her own historical essays and political commentaries.

Maureen is available as an entertaining speaker for both large and small groups. Email her to discuss what topic would be most suitable to your group or organization at windycityauthor@gmail.com.