Hi,

My name, believe it or not, is Ulrike Emigh, but YOU may call me Ullie! I was born in Stuttgart and grew up in various cities in Germany. I came to the U.S. in 1980, and I have worked as a writer and translator for about twenty years.

I studied English (a very foreign language!), Latin, and classical history at German and U.S. universities, earning an MA in English from Brown University in 1982. My biggest interests are reading, languages, and history, but I am also interested in lots of other things, like dragons, cooking, cats, knitting, space, Karate, and how my garden is coming along!

My son, who became a dinosaur nut for a while, was responsible for reviving my childhood interest in dinosaurs and fossils. We went to Natural History museums together, collected dinosaur books, and went fossil hunting in a local shale quarry. Then I read a notice about a new book about fossils called "The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times" by Adrienne Mayor. I always like finding a book that seems to include several of my interests, so I read it and was fascinated by the idea that dragons, giants, and monsters may be based on fossil observations by ancient peoples.

I've always wondered why so many ancient cultures in all different parts of the world have dragon stories. I had even wondered if maybe one day we would find out that humanoids were already around when the last dinosaurs were still alive (so that all those dragons are based on real, live dinosaurs). I know, however, that this is impossible, because humans evolved long, long after the dinosaurs went extinct. So when I read about how the ancients might have come up with the idea of dragons from looking at fossils of dinosaurs or other creatures, it made so much sense!

And now you know how I got the idea for Nika's adventures in Germany. I thought the fossil-dragon connection would make a good basis for an adventure/mystery story, which is my favorite kind of story. I know a lot about Roman history and archaeology; obviously I know the area in southern Germany where the story is set; I had learned all the latest dinosaur news; and I invented the wardrobe-mystery based on real stories about how some Germans helped Jewish families during the Nazi era.

Please look around on Nika's website, and send her an e-mail if you like. Thanks for visiting!

NEW:
Murder Mystery Parties for teens, available directly via download! A mystery party is the ideal ice-breaker for teens. They get to be in character, they can be devious and suspicious, and most of all, they get to have fun together! The German mystery party site is now online!

Now available:

Murder mystery party for 4 young sleuths who represent the members of an excavating expedition in Egypt on the verge of a sensational find:
The Curse of the Egyptian Statue

Non-murder mystery party for 8 or 9 teen sleuths playing members or admirers of the latest teen pop band sensation:
The Teen Idol Mystery

Non-murder mystery party for 9 participants set in a wilderness camp for "troubled teens". Participants get to enact fun types, such as the goth, the jock, the rich brat, in:
The Troubled Teens Riddle

A non-murder mystery party where participants solve a dangerous mystery at the fabulously wealthy Argent family's Halloween party:
A Devilish Masquerade

A geography mystery for 7 players or teams impersonating highly skilled special agents on a secret mission that will take them around the world:
The Great Hope Diamond C(h)ase

An Egyptian mystery party for groups or classrooms with a complete project kit full of Egyptian projects and activities:
The Hatshepsut Plot