About Me

Glenna Heckler-Todt was born and raised in rural Southern Illinois, the only child of Glenn and Pamella Heckler. Although she was surrounded by cousins and had many friends growing up, her most frequent companions were those she found in books. At an early age, Glenna’s parents could be heard saying, “Put that book down and go outside and play.” Passersby would often see her reading a book while walking home from school. Always blessed with an active imagination, when she wasn’t reading, she was pretending, acting out stories that she made-up in her mind. At the age of twelve, inspired by the writers she read, she began writing as well. Many days she would tie up the telephone sharing stories with her best friend April. At fifteen, her first job was in the town library where she became a keen observer of human behavior. It was at about this same time that she began dreaming about a career in journalism and wanted to become the newspaper industry’s version of Jessica Savitch, minus the addiction.

Unfortunately, by the time Glenna reached high school, the high school newspaper had stop printing because of budgetary constraints. Therefore, when she entered Eastern Illinois University as a journalism/political science major, competing with students from the Chicago area who all ready had experience writing on a school newspaper seemed overwhelming and impossible. Since she was a voracious reader with an interest in literature, changing her major to English and Political Science seemed the next logical step.

It was during these first few unsure months of college in November 1988 that she also met Matthew Todt, her college sweetheart and future husband. Fresh from Marine Corps boot camp, Matthew provided the inspiration for many political discussions, which still continue today, and much sappy poetry, which thankfully ended with creative writing class. Inseparable from the very beginning of their romance, Matthew and Glenna took several political science classes together, furthering their enjoyment for verbal sparring. Matthew proposed after the Marine Corps Birthday Ball in November 1989.

Matthew’s commitment to the Marine Corps Reserves frequently interfered with their need to be together, particularly when Matthew was called to active duty in 1990 for the first Gulf War (GWI). During those months apart, Matthew and Glenna’s commitment to one another was cemented, and despite promising their parents that they would wait until after they graduated, they were married in November of 1991. In December of 1992, they graduated, side-by-side, from Eastern.

Shortly after graduation, Matthew got a job in the Chicago suburbs, and they moved from Charleston to Wheaton and then Aurora. Glenna, ever unsure how to compete in the real world, worked in retail until Madeleine Elaine joined their family in 1994. Then Glenna entered DePaul University and earned her Master’s Degree in 1996. After graduation, Glenna taught at several community colleges as an adjunct instructor. In one year, she taught eight classes at six different colleges. Tired of juggling schedules and childcare, Matthew urged Glenna to find a new job. During the summer break, she was hired as a freelance corporate editor. Able to work from home, Glenna was overjoyed to be able to be at home with Madeleine, and she even dabbled with writing fiction as well. But the demands of work, motherhood, and marriage always came first.

Then in the late summer of 1999, Kathleen (Katy) Mary joined the Todt family. And in mid-winter of 2000, the family moved from the Chicago suburbs to the Philadelphia suburbs. Glenna continued working as a freelance editor until late 2002 when the businesses she worked for, effected by 9/11, began cutting back on “extras” like freelancers. Matthew urged her to focus on staying home with Katy, who was now well on her way to three years old, and to write. During this time, she wrote an unpaid, slice-of-life column for her local Mother’s and More chapter and Chaos Begins, a mystery novel about a woman named Emily Romano who returns to her hometown in Southern Illinois after having lived in Chicago for several years. When Emily’s best friend is accused a murder, Emily takes it upon herself to prove her friend’s innocence, which causes Emily to butt heads with her husband, the town’s sheriff.

Having completed Chaos Begins, Glenna, determined to be published, is currently marketing the novel to agents. She also has ideas and drafts for three more mystery novels that feature Emily Romano. Ever looking for a challenge and an outlet for her political opinions, Glenna is now stretching her boundaries as a writer and is at work on a futuristic novel about the United States under Martial Law after a bioterrorist attack.

Currently, Glenna is living and writing in suburban Philadelphia and teaching English at Montgomery County Community College. She continues her love affair with Matthew Todt, their three daughters, Madeleine, 13, Katy, 8, and Trinity, born August 2007, as well as their yellow Labrador Retriever, (Walter) Payton, 4.