As cousins growing up in mid-Michigan they shared family reunions and special occasions, but now these five cousins share the title of author. Since early last year all of them have published books, four of them as first-time authors.

The most recent addition to the author family is Fred Thelen with last month’s release of his book Terrorized. In August, Marie Showers and her daughter Julie published a children’s book, Toby Finds a Home. Chris Thelen’s book Islands of Deception and Matt VanAcker’s book Lansing and the Civil War were released last year. A fifth cousin-in-law, John Wemlinger, published his sixth book last year, The Road to Empire.

While the books they wrote fall into different genres, all of them except Showers’ contain Michigan as part of their story. Fred Thelen’s memoir shares his experience as a missionary in Peru during a time of terrorism as well as his growing up years on a Michigan farm. VanAcker’s book gives a historical account of Lansing residents who served in the Civil War. 

Chris Thelen’s crime novel follows a state police detective as he pursues an escaped prison inmate from Detroit to Northern Michigan and Beaver Island. Wemlinger’s latest book is a novel about a family who chooses the military life in the wake of 9/11, leaving behind their roots in Empire, Michigan. Showers’ book is about a homeless cat and relates to Julie’s work with a homeless shelter in Portland Oregon.

“In the process of writing and editing my book over a couple years, I was surprised to learn that some of my cousins were also writing their first book,” said Chris Thelen. “It was great to be able to tap into John’s experience publishing several books prior to publishing my own.”

“Becoming an author was not something I anticipated but the process was incredibly rewarding–even more so by being able to share the experience with my extended family,” said VanAcker

“I wrote the main draft of my book during the time of Covid. But the process of publishing was all new to me,” said Fred Thelen. “Conversations with John at a family funeral luncheon in Westphalia and a phone call with Chris helped set me on the path to getting it published.”

“For me, writing the book is the easy part. Publishing it is where the rubber meets the road,” said Wemlinger. “I admire Chris, Fred, Marie and Matt for their fortitude in sticking to it through all the editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing. I was very happy to share my experience with them throughout the process.”

The cousins grew up in the Lansing area along with Wemlinger’s wife Diane. Three live in northern Michigan, while the remaining two still reside in the Lansing area. Their mothers were raised on a farm north of Lansing near Westphalia during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

“We’ve known each other all our life and had a lot of fun together as kids at family reunions and special occasions,” said Chris Thelen. “It’s a special thing to share book writing with my four cousins.”

More information:

Fred Thelen: fredthelen.com; Terrorized

Chris G. Thelen: chrisgthelen.com; Islands of Deception

John Wemlinger: johnwenlinger.com; Road to Empire

Matt VanAcker: www.mscbattleflags.org/meet-the-team; Lansing and the Civil War 

Marie and Julie Showers: blanchethouse.org; Toby Finds a Home