Tom Steele

Tom Steele is a retired high school teacher from Geneseo, Illinois. During his career in education, Tom's teaching abilities were recognized with the following honors: the PTA Educator of the Year Award, the Western Illinois Master Teacher Award, the Illinois Board of Education's Award of Excellence, the Channel One Teacher Award, a USA Today Teacher Team Award, the American Councils Excellence in Teaching Award, the U.S. State Department Russian-American Art Exchange Award, a University of Chicago Most Inspirational Teacher Award, and four Western Illinois University's Most Inspirational Teacher Awards. Tom served as a Staff Sergeant in Cu Chi, Vietnam and is the recipient of two Army Commendation Medals and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He resides in Illinois with his wife, Linda and their three children. Tom is the author of Muddy Water- Romance and Murder in Henry County, Perish- Murder in Wicker Park, The Pied Piper of Sweden, and Crossing the Creek. Tom's books are available online in paperback and as eBooks.

Tom has appeared at a number of speaking/author events. Most recently he engaged in the following activities: A Gathering of Authors at Bishop Hill, a facilitator for the Midwest Writing Center's symposium of How to Write a Mystery, Catch a Bunch of Author's at the Aurora Public Library, a speaker at the Moline Literary Guild, a presenter at the Quad-City Book Fair, a speaker at Carl Sandburg College - How to Write a Historical Novel, and presenter at the Bucktown Art Show. He has been interviewed on radio, television, and in several newspaper articles.