By the age of seven, Rebecca S. Nieminen had fallen in love with books and aspired to one day write her own. In 1998, she earned a bachelor’s in journalism, and in 2010, a master’s in English, both from Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. For nearly two decades Rebecca worked as a reporter and then freelancer for a mid-sized daily newspaper, The Vindicator, also based in Youngstown.
A lifelong resident of Northeastern Ohio, Rebecca has long been passionate about local history and is an avid researcher of 1800s Ohio. She is also an avid antiques collector and genealogist, with a particular interest in the Finnish branch of her family tree. Rebecca strives to display “sisu” in her approach to life. “Sisu” is a Finnish word defined as “determination, tenacity of purpose, courage and resilience, despite the odds.”
For several years Rebecca was a single parent, raising two young children on a shoestring budget. She tabled her writing ambitions during this hectic time, but when one of her manuscripts was a finalist for the Eludia Award, it helped inspire her to later self-publish an updated version of that manuscript. Titled The Dance of the White Deer, this debut novel is a work of literary, historical fiction based on true events. Rebecca plans to publish a sequel to The Dance of the White Deer. She also has other historical novels planned, as well as novels that will take place in modern settings. She also plans to publish some photo books that showcase her landscape and nature photography.
In addition to her accomplishments as a writer, Rebecca is a seasoned visual artist and has worked as a professional photographer for nearly a decade, specializing in both portraits and landscapes. Her landscapes have received recognition and praise, and her work has been featured in many Ohio art galleries. Many of her photos depict rural Ohio and showcase its weathered barns, windswept lighthouses, and idyllic farm scenes. She is known as an artist who produces images with soft, dream-like quality, gorgeous golden light and dramatic colorful skies.
Rebecca enjoys the comforts of home but also loves to travel with her significant other. Together they have traveled the back roads from Maine to Michigan, with Rebecca snapping photos along the way.
To view Rebecca’s photography you can visit her web site: https://storytellerphotographyimagesbyrebecca.com/
She also has a photography business page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StorytellerPhotographyImagesbyRebecca/
And she has an author’s page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rebecca-S-Nieminen-Author-101179869366833