Chicago Author will release the first book of her science fiction series May 13th, 2019
illi News/10017474

CHICAGO - May 8, 2019 - illiNews -- As a second generation business owner of her father's 45-year-old business, Courtney admits she's worked hard to grow her father's empire. Courtney and her brother/business partner Garrett recently received another award for holding their position as number one in the country for automotive sunroof installations.

"Statistics say... first generation builds a business, second generation maintains the business, and the third generation destroys the business... My brother and I work hard to prove this statistic wrong as we are surpassing expectations," Courtney explains.

Courtney entered her undergrad as a pre-journalism major and graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in psychology and a secondary in creative writing. She worked at the Crisis Center in Iowa city leading to graduation day, where she went back home to St. Charles, Illinois with a plan. Courtney hoped to gain her masters degree in forensic psychology at a school in Chicago, while working for her dad, to pay for school.

"I immediately worked for my dad in the sales department visiting our dealerships all over the state. Within the first month, I heard so many funny stories about my dad, I took a step back. I already admired him and knew he worked hard, but the love people had for him and his business, I felt I needed to keep his empire going."

More on illi News

• The Inner Power of Emotional Self-Leadership
• Dr. Nadene Rose Shares the Secret to True Success: Faith, Obedience, and Divine Purpose
• Understanding Unexpected Death: Why Independent Autopsies Matter in Cases Without Clear Cause
• Epic Pictures Group Sets North American Release Date for the Thriller NO ORDINARY HEIST
• Award-Winning REALTOR® Paige Coker Joins Corcoran DeRonja Real Estate

Courtney's younger brother Garrett, worked for Top Coverage post college for the temporary experience, ultimately deciding to grow the business with his sister. As young business owners, they're members of a national top twenty group (Restylersunited.com), where they learn and collaborate with other well-respected business owners across the country. As SEMA pro members, Courtney and Garrett actively partake in many charity events through their dealerships and community and design vehicle packages to coincide with the various charity events Courtney also writes a monthly column for The SHOP national automotive magazine. Business was growing, Top Coverage was expanding, which changed abruptly for Courtney on June 25th, 2016.

Courtney was in her hometown on a country road, heading to a family party. She was waiting to make a left turn when a distracted driver drove into the back of her Jeep at the projected speed of at least 55 mph. Courtney's life took a turn. Suffering both neck and back injuries, she spent close to two years recovering. Once coming to terms with how long her recovery could take, she researched diets and foods for decreasing inflammation. A friend suggested the blood type diet. Courtney didn't know her blood type but found it from hospital notes. She googled her blood type and her jaw dropped.

She discovered her blood origin was unknown while also a topic linked to many conspiracy theories. The next six months, Courtney researched the topic, and came up with an idea for her first novel. She took bits and pieces from each of the creepy conspiracy theories and drafted an outline, deciding one day she'd write the story.

More on illi News

• Over 98% of crypto owners globally don't declare taxes, new report find
• Chicago: Mayor Brandon Johnson and BACP Announce Selected Organizations for the Neighborhood Retail Activation Program
• TicTac Group acquires French EdTech company Distrisoft
• Suburban Orthopaedics Expands Comprehensive Orthopaedic Care in Northwest Suburbs
• Chicago: Mayor Brandon Johnson Joins Goodman Theatre To Celebrate Opening of Theater of The Mind

In April 2017, Courtney had back surgery. Faced with more healing time, she wrote the first book. She admits, a lot of the first character has her intertwined. This novel to Courtney, saved her. She says she experienced serious depression by month three on bed-rest and didn't know how to make the time pass.

"I was scared and also learning how much your spinal cord links to the movement of your arms and legs. There was a point I felt the electrical jolts from nerve pain down all four limbs. I guess researching and outlining a potential novel kept my mind occupied. It gave me hope. After back surgery, I took all of my bottled up frustration and poured it into a book."

Courtney says completing the book gave her closure from the accident. She's excited for the first book to come out May 13th, 2019 and is ready to start the next character novel in the series. Visit Courtneyleighpahlke.com for more information.

You can read more about Courtney and her company Top Coverage at Topcoveragenorth.com