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 Michael ("Mick") Zimmerle is a typical zoomer with a typical life history ... up until now. This once teacher, then computer programmer has launched into yet another career ... mystery writer. Not just your ordinary mystery writer. Mick's mysteries have a zoomer spin to them. But we're getting a little ahead of the story, and authors don't care for that. So we'll begin at the beginning.
Born on Nov 14, 1944, Mick's the perfect historian for the Baby zoomer years. Not just his zoomer years, but most of his siblings. Mick grew up in a large family with five brothers and three sisters, most of whom are baby zoomers. After completing bachelor and master degrees in mathematics, he taught elementary and middle school math. Ten years later, Mick changed careers and worked for over twenty years as a computer programmer on IBM mainframes. In 1993 he began writing children’s stories immediately following formal training in literature. Three years later, Mick and his wife Sandra adopted their daughter Hannah from Russia. Then, in 2000 they adopted their son Jonathan, also Russian born. On both trips they flew into Moscow, then toured the city of Tula and Murom where the orphanages are located. That same year, Zimmerle self-published two books, "The Church Tower Mystery" and "The Mystery of the Gold Double Eagle". Each book has an underlying theme such as forgiveness, the importance of wholesome relationships, and the spirit of self-sacrifice. The stories are true to life in order to encourage twelve-year-olds to become engaged in solving the mysteries. The action takes place at the end of the 1950’s, before electronic gadgetry were entertainment mainstays for America's young people. Zoomers will enjoy the reminiscing over the situations the story characters go through, such as playing baseball with only five kids on each side. Mick believes the reminiscing is so enjoyable that zoomers will want to purchase gift copies for their grand children just to share all the great memories. "The Church Tower Mystery" has two twelve-year-old boys dealing with relationships. A retarded boy is hated at the start of the book and then becomes a friend and partner in solving crime. The bank across from the church has been robbed. The boys accuse most everyone of being the thief including the parish priest and the janitor. In fact, the boys themselves are also accused of stealing some of the money. The story's lesson is about not judging people too quickly. In the photo (above left) the author is leaning on the huge church tower bell where some of the action took place. "The Mystery of the Gold Double Eagle" has an underlying theme of forgiveness. Tait and Marcus are best friends but, as friends often do, they quarrel. Nevertheless, the boys find a gold double eagle coin in an abandoned house and a note which leads to treasure. Tait’s uncle Bernie helps the boys track down the treasure while a pawnbroker tries to steal it away. The characters are confronted with the virtues of forgiveness. Mick says he's received good reviews from readers who learned about his works on the Internet's Amazon.com. Encouraged in his new career, Mick is now writing his "Boomer Mysteries Series" to provide youth with stories that are fun to read and reinforce family values. Photo credit: Mick Zimmerle Read More Lifestyle Features |