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Cynthia Polansky has been writing creatively since she was old enough to put pencil to paper, but like so many other wannabes, felt she lacked that unattainable je ne sais quoi that "real" novelists surely possess. A friend’s casual remark about her skillful writing prompted Cynthia to take a creative writing class, where she learned the basics of fiction writing and acquired confidence in her ability. Four years later, her first novel, Far Above Rubies, was published.

Polansky (writing as Cynthia P. Gallagher) also dabbles in nonfiction, drawing on experience in the various career paths she ambled down in her twenties and thirties: from aerobics instructor to FAA-licensed aircraft dispatcher to court reporter. The dog-related articles comprising her resumé attested to her love of man’s best friend and led her to write several dog breed books and earn membership in the Dog Writers Association of America.

A Boston native, Cynthia Polansky earned her B.A. degree in Russian from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. After a few detours from the nation’s capital to Milwaukee and Memphis, she now lives in Annapolis, Maryland with her husband, a retired Fedex pilot. When not writing, she enjoys knitting, crossword puzzles, and volunteering at the local animal shelter. She works out a lot but doesn’t exactly enjoy it. She is also a tutor for the Writing Center at the U.S. Naval Academy.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/144991291

Cynthia Polansky's historical novel based on the true story of a Dutch woman who voluntarily accompanied her 6 stepdaughters to Auschwitz. www.cynthiapolansky.com

I'm signing in Salem!

Cynthia Polansky to sign books in Salem, MA bookstore on May 17, 2008

What author doesn't dream of rubbing elbows with celebrities and entering the upper echelon of a fiercely complex industry? Cynthia Polansky's recent foray into Los Angeles' book world was more of a nightmare!

goodbye, muffins and water bottles. hello, autographed books!

I first heard Sofie's story at the touring photographic exhibit, "Anne Frank In the World." The exhibit culminated in a brief lecture by a Holocaust survivor or second-generation survivor. One particular day, a second-generation survivor regaled us with vignettes of the Holocaust as told by her aunt Sofie, who had survived Auschwitz. She called her "Tante Soof."

Tante Soof made a deep impression on me. I felt that her story needed to be told to an audience of greater scope than exhibit-goers. What began as a short story evolved into a complex journey delving into the heart and mind of this woman named Sofie. While the basic events that transpire in this novel are factual, I have exercised some literary license with the narrative. Save for historical figures, most names are fictitious, as are some characters. With very few exceptions, however, descriptions of Nazi atrocities are neither exaggerated nor illusory. Though not all may have been inflicted on the real Tante Soof or her family, they did indeed happen to some Holocaust victims somewhere.

Every survivor's story is one of victory, a unique tale that bears telling. Tante Soof is one such victory.