Profile: Former Reporter Begins a Round of Fiction

Mary Ann Grossmann, book critic for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, recently profiled Rick Shefchik, author of a new series of mysteries featuring Minneapolis policeman Sam Skarda. The first in the series, Amen Corner, set at the Masters golf tournament, was recently published by Poisoned Pen Press. [Mystery Books News Editor's note: Read a book review of Amen Corner at Mysterious Reviews.]

"I've been a golfer since I was a kid, had my first lesson when I was 9, and I've played the sport with more or less intensity and accomplishment ever since," says Shefchik, 54, who grew up in Duluth. A 4-handicap player, he adds with a laugh, "Anything in the single digits indicates you've probably spent more time playing golf than you should."

Shefchik, who began his career as a copy editor for the Duluth News-Tribune and was most recently with the St. Paul Pioneer Press, left the newspaper last year to concentrate on writing mysteries. He's working on the second Sam Skarda mystery, this one involving the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Shefchik knows he's got some tough competition in the field of sports mysteries. "Sam's a bit of a tough guy who can keep his mouth shut," he says. "I think I can keep him going."

Read the entire profile on TwinCities.com here.

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