Rick Shefchik
Encyclopedia
Rick Shefchik is an American
novelist and journalist
. He is the author
of the novels Amen Corner
, published in 2007, and Green Monster
, published August 1, 2008 by Poisoned Pen Press
. A mystery
/thriller set at the The Masters Tournament
of golf
, Amen Corner centers on Minneapolis police
detective
and amateur
golfer Sam Skarda, as he competes in his first Masters and hunts for a crazed killer determined to put an end to the tournament
. It is the first in a series about Skarda and his adventures investigating crime in the sports world. The second, Green Monster, has Skarda traveling to the East Coast
in response to an anonymous note received by the owner of the Boston Red Sox
, claiming the 2004 World Series
was fixed.
From 1993 to 2004, he wrote the weekly syndicated
newspaper
column
"Go Ask Dad", which appeared in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and other papers nationwide. The column offered an offbeat, warm and often humorous take on fatherhood. The column's insights won it numerous awards, including from the National Society for Newspaper Columnists (First Place, Humor, 1999), and the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists Page One Award. He also contributed to two projects that won the Frank Premack Public Affairs Journalism Award from the Minnesota Journalism Center at the University of Minnesota
.
Born in Duluth
, Minnesota
, he graduated from Dartmouth College
. After working in public relations
and as a full-time musician
, he began his journalism career at the Duluth News Tribune
in 1978. After moving to the Pioneer Press, he worked as a sportswriter, television
critic
and music critic
before the creation of "Go Ask Dad". In 2006, he left the newspaper to become a full-time novelist.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. He is the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of the novels Amen Corner
Amen Corner (novel)
Amen Corner is a 2007 novel by American author Rick Shefchik, published March 9 by Poisoned Pen Press. A mystery/thriller set at the Masters Tournament of golf, it centers on Minneapolis police detective and amateur golfer Sam Skarda, as he competes in his first Masters and tries to stop a crazed...
, published in 2007, and Green Monster
Green Monster (novel)
Green Monster is a 2008 novel by American author Rick Shefchik, published August 1 by Poisoned Pen Press. A mystery/thriller set initially in Boston, Massachusetts, it follows the former Minneapolis police detective, now private investigator, Sam Skarda, as he is called in by the owner of the...
, published August 1, 2008 by Poisoned Pen Press
Poisoned Pen Press
Poisoned Pen Press is a publisher of hardcover mystery fiction in the United States. It is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Poisoned Pen Press typically publishes thirty-six new hardcover mysteries per year, thirty-six new large type editions of those hardcovers, and between thirty and forty new trade...
. A mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
/thriller set at the The Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament, also known as The Masters , is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year...
of golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, Amen Corner centers on Minneapolis police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
and amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
golfer Sam Skarda, as he competes in his first Masters and hunts for a crazed killer determined to put an end to the tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
. It is the first in a series about Skarda and his adventures investigating crime in the sports world. The second, Green Monster, has Skarda traveling to the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
in response to an anonymous note received by the owner of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, claiming the 2004 World Series
2004 World Series
The 2004 World Series was the Major League Baseball championship series for the 2004 season. It was the 100th World Series and featured the American League champions, the Boston Red Sox, against the National League champions, the St. Louis Cardinals...
was fixed.
From 1993 to 2004, he wrote the weekly syndicated
Syndicated columnist
This list of syndicated columnists comprises columnists whose recurring columns are published in multiple periodical publications .*Ghaith Abdul-Ahad*Yasmin Alibhai-Brown*Timothy Garton Ash*Lucius Beebe*Max Boot...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
"Go Ask Dad", which appeared in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and other papers nationwide. The column offered an offbeat, warm and often humorous take on fatherhood. The column's insights won it numerous awards, including from the National Society for Newspaper Columnists (First Place, Humor, 1999), and the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists Page One Award. He also contributed to two projects that won the Frank Premack Public Affairs Journalism Award from the Minnesota Journalism Center at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
Born in Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, he graduated from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
. After working in public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
and as a full-time musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, he began his journalism career at the Duluth News Tribune
Duluth News Tribune
The Duluth News Tribune is a newspaper in Duluth, Minnesota. It is published by Forum Communications, which bought it in 2006 after The McClatchy Company acquired the News Tribunes previous owner, Knight Ridder.The present incarnation of the newspaper is the outcome of the merger and takeover of...
in 1978. After moving to the Pioneer Press, he worked as a sportswriter, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
and music critic
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
before the creation of "Go Ask Dad". In 2006, he left the newspaper to become a full-time novelist.