Glen Crest 8th-graders host author of 'Cold Fury” trilogy

T.M Goeglein, author of the young adult books, “Cold Fury,” and “Flicker and Burn,” was the guest speaker at Glen Crest Middle School on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

His visit was coordinated by Pam McDermott, Library Information and Technology Center Director. He met the eighth-grade students at the middle school in the afternoon and everyone had an exciting experience listening to the reasons he wrote the books, learning about his writing background, and finding out that he is writing the third book which will be published in 2014.

The first two books involve a heroine named Sara Jane Rispoli who is sixteen years old and returns from high school one day to find her family has been kidnapped. Clues lead to her discovery of an ancient, worn notebook that contains the revelation that a rare and powerful hereditary trait has allowed the male members of her family to become major figures in the Outfit, Chicago's storied crime syndicate. Numerous close calls, unique pursuits and clashes with death follow Sara Jane's journey to reunite with her family.

Goeglein began his career as a writer of print and television ads for advertising and media companies. As a screenwriter, he created both original scripts and worked as a script doctor for several production companies in Los Angeles. He was an original contributor to the Huffington Post and continues to write for both the national edition and Huffington Post Chicago. He lives in Chicago and is fascinated by the history of organized crime in the United States. “Chicago is a perfect backdrop for chases, strange characters, and interesting city rats. It has it all,” he said.