About Me

I grew up in Kansas, majored in music education, taught for a few years—first in the country of Jordan and then in the state of Missouri, went to grad school and changed my career to publishing in 1990. I’ve been editing books for Loyola Press for ten years, working with authors such as Margaret Silf, Chris Lowney, Dom Grassi, Mary Jo Pedersen, and Daniel Harrington.

I’ve written three novels and one Christmas novella. The two earlier novels—Grace at Bender Springs and Velma Still Cooks in Leeway—are out of print but can likely be found (cheap!) second-hand. (Vinita also has copies of these she will sell you at a good discount and mail to you.) The novella, The Winter Seeking, is also available only through second-hand sources. The latest novel, Dwelling Places, won Christianity Today’s award for Best Fiction of 2007.

My nonfiction titles that are all still in print:

	Praying Freedom—Lenten meditations to engage your mind and free your soul.
	Simple Acts of Moving Forward—this grew out of the creativity/spirituality retreats I have presented for several years. It provides great ideas for getting your day unstuck.
	Days of Deepening Friendship—develop an authentic, dynamic relationship with God through these spiritual meditations for women.
	A Catalogue of Angels—all about angels in the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
	The St. Therese of Lisieux Prayer Book—part of a series from Paraclete Press.

If you would like to explore the possibility of my speaking in your area, you can contact me through the Loyola Press Web site or at wright@loyolapress.com

My personal life is pretty calm. My photographer husband, Jim, and I live on Chicago’s far South Side with two dogs and two cats. We try to travel often enough to see Jim’s grown sons and the four growing grandchildren. I enjoy puttering in the kitchen and feeding people. Jim and I enjoy living on our back porch in the summer, watching movies, and making the dogs and cats as codependent as possible. In case you’re wondering, the dogs are Nala (mixed shepherd breed from the shelter), Buddy (stray mixed Lab breed); the cats are Little Buddha (stray yellow tabby) and Mr. Bones (stray gray tabby-Siamese mix who wandered up very skinny but did not remain that way).

When not editing at the Loyola Press offices, you can find me at home trying to write my next novel. I have a little writing room that used to be a porch, and Little Buddha and I hang out together and snuggle while I write, try to write, pray, or try to pray. Little Buddha seems to pray just by existing, and this is a great spiritual help to me, since I should probably give more energy to existing and less to trying.

I am a great-aunt. My two sisters and their families live in Missouri, and my mother is still in Kansas. My father is deceased but probably enjoys watching from heaven as his eldest daughter collects animals the way he did.

Please visit www.vinitahamptonwright.com to keep up with where I will be presenting talks and retreats.