Larry Stillman

Born September 8, 1942 in Milwaukee, WI, Larry Stillman graduated the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in advertising and psychology in 1964. He and his wife Loraine reside in Lake Forest, IL. They have two children and four grandchildren.

As an advertising creative executive for more than 30 years, Larry created such memorable campaigns as “This Bud’s For You” and many others for prestigious national clients. In 1996, he started his own consulting company, Won Gud Riter. At that time he began to research and write his first book, A Match Made in Hell.

“Match” is a non-fiction adventure story which dramatizes the real life experiences of a Holocaust survivor who, as a teenager in Poland, was rescued and tutored by a notorious criminal-turned-mercenary. The North American hardcover edition was published in October, 2003, by the University of Wisconsin Press. A new softcover edition will be available in August, 2005.

Larry is busy with speaking engagements in middle and high schools, where he holds students spellbound as he talks about the book. He is also working on a screenplay of the story. He has just completed his first novel, a work of historically-based fiction entitled The Rope Catcher. It’s set primarily on the Navajo reservation during the period 1942-1952.

Clearly, Larry does not believe in the old adage, write what you know. “I like to learn about new ideas and cultures, then try to make my enthusiasm for the subject infectious in my writing,” he says. “It’s hard to live vicariously if you limit yourself only to your own experiences and knowledge base. And it’s not nearly as much fun.”