Home > Meet the Authors > Luisa Buehler

Luisa Scala Buehler grew up in the town of Berkeley, IL, a suburb of Chicago. Her parents made the decision to sell their home on the west side of the city. The small bungalow on Victoria Street was perfect for her family: two parents, older brother, and an uncle.

Her first exposure to a public library was the small "volunteer" library located in the basement of a grocery store on Taft Avenue. It was there that she discovered Nancy Drew. Luisa realized that this would be her career; not girl detective, but girl mystery writer. About that time, her family subscribed to the Sunday paper and Luisa found another fascinating role model in the comic pages, Brenda Starr, reporter!

Luisa attended Proviso West High School in Hillside, IL where she immediately joined the newspaper staff. Her advisor suggested that she try another release for her writing when she continually failed to meet deadlines for the tabloid. Her articles were stirring but they never made it to press on time.

Luisa shifted to the yearbook staff, rationalizing that she would have an entire year to submit her copy.

Her desire to major in English was no surprise to anyone who knew her. She attended Rosary College in River Forest, IL and completed her B.A. degree in English in three years. She was anxious to start working at her new job at the Chicago Sun Times-Daily News. Her intention was to write for the paper, but her reality was typing up ads as an ad-taker in the classified department of the paper.

Life doesn't always take a straight line towards a goal. Luisa transferred to inside sales on the Stamps and Coins Desk selling ads for that department and then to outside sales selling classified ads to employment agencies located in the Loop.

A small start-up magazine called Environs recruited her. The magazine covered the near west suburbs. The offer was to sell ads, write articles, and even model, when necessary, for some of the ads.

The line to a writing career blurred again when the magazine closed shop and Luisa found a job as a production assistant in a steel company in Broadview, IL. She was promoted to inside sales after her supervisor recognized her innate ease in dealing with people. She was laid off from that company during the steel industry downturn in the seventies.

Searching the classifieds for a new job, Luisa spotted the name of a friend from high school in one of the help wanted ads. She called, interviewed, and hired on at Wide Scope Staffing Services, Inc.

Her writing skills were discovered when she fell back on her training from the Sun Times and started writing all the company help wanted ads. She offered to write some marketing pieces, promotional material, resumes, and letters to customers.

Luisa joined the volunteer Docent program at Brookfield Zoo in 1987 to pursue her interest in animals. An earlier idea, to write children's books seemed to fit with her duties at the zoo. She answered questions from zoo-goers concerning animal habitat, behaviors, type of food and the number one non-animal question, where is the closest restroom?

Through the years that followed Luisa wrote many business pieces, but also short stories, poems, garden journals, and ultimately The Rosary Bride: A Cloistered Death. After submitting her writing for five years without gaining publishing success, Luisa put the novel away and took up the position of Webelos Leader with her son Christopher's Cub Scout pack. She continued to write, starting her second mystery. She continued in scouting as her son bridged over to Boy Scouts by becoming a trained leader for Troop 562 in Woodridge, IL.

In 2002, two events played a major role in Luisa's life. She successfully bid for, bought the company she had worked for since 1977, and she signed a publishing contract for The Rosary Bride.

With two major hats to wear, Luisa sincerely tells people to, "Be careful what you pray for."

With the second book, The Lion Tamer: A Caged Death out in August 2004, she has assured fans of Grace Marsden that there is more to come. The third in the series, The Station Master: A Scheduled Death, was on bookshelves in November 2005. Presently, Luisa is finishing up her fourth book, The Scoutmaster: A Prepared Death, which is scheduled for fall, 2006 release.

She lives in Lisle, IL with her husband Gerry, their son Chris (Kit), and family cat, Martin Marmalade. In her spare time, Luisa loves to garden.