ABOUT SHARON
About the Author
Sharon Kurtzman worked in television marketing before pursuing her dream of becoming a writer. She earned her MFA in fiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and her undergraduate degree from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications. The Lost Baker of Vienna was inspired by the war and postwar experiences of her own family, who were Holocaust survivors. Kurtzman lives in North Carolina with her husband; they have two adult children.
More About Sharon
For years, Sharon’s mother spoke sparingly about her experiences during and after World War II. It wasn’t until Sharon was in college that her mother shared details about her life during years when staying alive each day was an act of resistance. Learning how her mother, aunt, and grandmother had survived two Jewish ghettos in Poland and the Stutthof concentration camp deeply impacted Sharon, as did learning how after liberation, and as refugees, her family ended up in Vienna facing unimaginable danger in war-torn Europe. Those stories echoed in Sharon’s mind for decades and set her on the path to write the The Lost Baker of Vienna.
Prior to becoming an author, at one time or another, Sharon has been an audience research analyst, copywriter, television ad salesperson, publicist, the official escort to Danger Mouse at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and a judge at a Chicken Soup Cook-off.
As a freelance food writer her work has appeared in INDY Week and South Writ Large. Sharon is also a former blogger for The Huffington Post and a past contributor at BetterAfter50.com. Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
When Sharon isn’t knee-deep in historical research, you’ll find her tinkering with new recipes, trying restaurants in the Triangle’s exploding food scene, traveling, or biking both near and far from her North Carolina home.