Rick Shefchik

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Rick Shefchik ^[1] (born May 9, 1952) is an American novelist and journalist. He is the author of the novels Amen Corner and the forthcoming Green Monster, due to be 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.

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.