The Author: Thomas J. Vander Salm
Thomas J. Vander Salm spent his youth in Michigan, and after graduating from Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon) as a chemical engineer, he switched careers and entered The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. After a residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and two years in the Navy, he practiced cardiac and thoracic surgery at The University of Massachusetts Medical School where his writing was focused on medical topics.
His retirement coincided with the start of writing Maaijke. Many of Peter’s interests in the novel — piloting a plane, sailing, fishing, and bird hunting — are shared by Vander Salm, along with a love for Labrador Retrievers. His current Labrador, Maaijke, shares their 1820s New England home with Vander Salm and his wife.
Thomas J. Vander Salm 