PERFECT

Beryl Singleton Bissell was born in Saddle River, New Jersey grew up inPuerto Rico, and now lives in Minnesota.She’s been a nun, a wife, mother, a widow, a divorcee, and for the past twelveyears has been happily married to a man nine years younger than she is.

Bissell’s work experience is almost as varied as herpersonal history. After leaving the monastery, she worked with a set designerin Puerto Rico, spent a year as national coordinator for the Blue Army of OurLady of Fatima, designed and sold 18-karat gold jewelry, and spent eight yearsat Milkweed Editions, a not-for-profit literary press in Minneapolis. In 1996, having returned toschool as a single parent, she received her B.A. from Metropolitan State University.

Bissell has been published in The Trenton Times, The Sun,Lake Superior Magazine, Minnesota Monthly, Your Life, The Himalayan Path, andthe anthologies Surviving Ophelia (Perseus Press 2004) and The WritersHandbook, Volume 2 (Scarletta Press 2008) as well as in Virtual Thesaurus.com.From 1998 through 2008 she was a columnist for the Cook County News Herald.

She is married and has two children: a son Thomas, adaughter Francesca who died in 2001, and three grandchildren. She was named“Best of 2006 Minnesota Authors” and her memoir, The Scent of God (www.berylsingletonbissell.com) was a “Notable”Book Sense selection for April 2006. She also blogs at www.beryl.gather.com, www.berylsbissell.blogspot.com,and www.findingtimeforgod.blogspot.com.