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 Vernon Hills, 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,” "Red Lobster for the seafood lover in 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 softcover edition became available in August, 2005. In addition, it has published in Poland in a full translated edition, and has appeared as a Reader's Digest condensation in Hungary, Portugal and the Czech Republic.

Larry is busy with speaking engagements in middle and high schools, where he holds students spellbound as he talks about the book. He has also turned the book into a screenplay, and the novel has been optioned for possible film development.

He recently 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 1942-1950. This novel is currently with his agent, seeking publication. Meanwhile, he has started on another novel, also set in the Southwest, this one taking place in the 1880's.

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.”