Cynthia Kraack has written five novels, some speculative fiction and one literary, has published short stories, and both her novels and stories have received awards. She’s also been a freelance writer in the interactive niche, designing business simulation games and creating content for consumer websites.

The High Cost of Flowers is Cynthia Kraack’s fifth novel and first work of contemporary fiction, published by Calumet Editions in December 2014. The book won awards in the Contemporary Fiction and Literary Fiction categories of the 25th Annual Midwest Book Awards presented by the Midwest Independent Publishing Association.

Her debut novel, Minnesota Cold, won the 2009 Northeastern Minnesota Book Award for Fiction. The Ashwood trilogy (Ashwood, Harvesting Ashwood: Minnesota 2037, Leaving Ashwood) and Minnesota Cold were published by North Star Press of St. Cloud, MN.

Writing is her passion and delight. At the core of all her work is exploration of the impact of real time stress on families, however one defines that curious unit. She enjoys speaking about writing and meeting with groups, book clubs, and classes. A member of the founding Board of Write On, Door County, she serves a faculty member of the new regional writing center.

Graduating from Marquette University’s College of Journalism, Cynthia began her writing career in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She spent years in corporate communications gaining recognition from a variety of professional organizations. She earned a Masters degree from the University of Minnesota in labor economics and educational psychology and graduated from the University of Southern Maine Stonecoast MFA Program in Creative Writing. She has participated in the University of Iowa’s Summer Writers’ Workshop and is a member of The Loft.