Claudia Ricci, Ph.D., is an American Author, an influential and seasoned writer of literary fiction, and an accomplished painter. Claudia is a former writer for The Wall Street Journal and a prize-winning reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. She published her first novel, Dreaming Maples, in 2002 after being nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Seeing Red, her second novel, was released in January 2011, and Sister Mysteries came out in 2018. Her new book, which will be released in the Fall of 2022 titled 'Pearly Everlasting.' All of her novels are available on Amazon and featured as her subsequent titles on fine literary sites. Ricci's short fiction has been published in numerous literary magazines nationwide, including Alaska Quarterly Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Bayou, Yemassee, Barkeater, The Adirondack Review, The MacGuffin, and Another Chicago Magazine. Her non-fiction writing has appeared in The New York Times, Business Week, Parents magazine, the Huffington Post, and The Washington Post. Claudia earned her Ph.D. in English (Teaching, Writing, and Criticism) from the University at Albany, SUNY, in 1996. She taught English, journalism, and creative writing at the University for 14 years and did a year-long teaching sabbatical at Georgetown University in 2009. Claudia is not writing enjoys reading good books, traveling, canoeing and painting.(Her paintings can be viewed at https://www.claudiariccipaintings.com.) She and her husband reside in North Egremont, Massachusetts.