STEPHANIE WINCIK
AUTHOR
Stephanie Wincik is a lifelong resident of Erie County, Pennsylvania. A student of Civil War history, Stephanie is president of the West County Historical Association in Girard, Pennsylvania and the author of six books:Ghosts of Erie County, More Ghosts of Erie County, Heroes in Disguise,Reaching Through the Veil: Ghost Hunting in Erie County, and a time-travel series for children, Northern Lights and The Journey: A Northern Lights Adventure. Stephanie has published articles about Girard history inPennsylvania Magazine, and writes a column, Local History Corner, for theWest County News Journal. She speaks frequently about local history, legends, and ghost stories in Erie County, and often appears as a guest on area television and radio programs.
Stephanie graduated summa cum laude from Penn State University in 1977 with a degree in Nursing, and has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for over twenty-five years. Certified in Developmental Disabilities by the Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association in 2000, Stephanie’s current position is Associate Director of Nursing/Health Services at Erie Homes for Children and Adults in Erie, Pennsylvania.
"Like most writers, much of what I think, learn about, and experience eventually spills back out onto the printed page in one form or another. In my case, I write books about the things that interest me and hope that others might share in those interests. As a result, you will find a number of diverse topics covered in the books on this site.
A fascination with history coupled with a strong curiosity about the paranormal resulted in several books documenting local ghost stories, legends, and other ghostly goings-on in my hometown of Girard, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area. Later, my longtime interest in the American Civil War led to the creation of a time-travel adventure series for young readers set in nineteenth-century Virginia, Northern Lights and The Journey: A Northern Lights Adventure.
More recently, I have just completed second edition of Making a Case for Life, entitled Brilliant Souls. As a registered nurse with three decades of experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities, I have had the privilege of knowing a number of delightful people who happen to have Down syndrome. Currently, though, largely due to new and less invasive prenatal testing, an estimated 80-90% of all babies with Down syndrome are aborted. In this updated book, I hope to dispel many of the myths about Down syndrome, most of which are based on outdated information, and offer a fresh perspective on the place individuals with Down syndrome have in our modern society. In Brilliant Souls, I have included an additional chapter exploring the intriguing connection many people with Down syndrome appear to have with the spiritual world."