T.D. Arkenberg came to writing the long way around—by way of airline boardrooms, airport tarmacs, university classrooms, a Belgian residency, and a tiger cat with an opinion about everything. Arkenberg has authored novels, short stories, and memoirs. Many literary organizations have honored his writing: Independent Publishers (IPPY); Pirate’s Alley Faulkner-Wisdom; Next Generation Indie Books; ScreenCraft; National Indie Excellence Awards; Eric Hoffer Awards; Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA EVVY).
A good writer is also a good reader. T.D. is no exception. Among classical writers, Arkenberg’s tastes in fiction run to Dickens, Hardy, Austen, Cather, and Tolstoy. Primo Levi and James Baldwin hold special places on his bookshelf. More contemporary authors he enjoys include Gordimer, Munro, Irving, and Coetzee. Guilty pleasures include Christie, and early Cornwall and Ludlum. Like many fiction writers, T.D. also reads plenty of nonfiction, primarily history. Here he counts among his favorites, Goldstone, Fraser, and Frieda. Each of these authors brings European history alive with dynamic storytelling skills.
Besides writing and reading, T.D. enjoys gardening, traveling, cycling and long walks. He has an MBA from The University of Chicago and a BA in Literature from Northwestern University. He also studied at the London Business School. Arkenberg had been active in several professional writing groups including the Off Campus Writers Workshop, Brussels Writers Circle, and Barrington Writers Workshop where he served as chairman. The author and his husband make their home in the Chicago area along with their favorite souvenir from a two-year residency in Belgium, a precocious tiger cat.
For those discovering Arkenberg’s work for the first time, there’s bound to be a novel, short story, or memoir that piques your curiosity.
Catalogue:
Apéro, European Stories (2026) is Arkenberg’s second collection of short stories. Benefiting from the author’s extensive travels, each of the book’s ten stories features a different European setting and a colorful cast of characters and conundrums.
My French Summer (2025) Windy City Reviews offers a perfect summary of Arkenberg’s fifth novel: “Equal parts travel novel, queer romance, and coming of age story, My French Summer is a delightful romp through first love in a closeted area…. Taken as a whole, My French Summer is a wonderful novel about moving from adolescence to adulthood, first love, and travel.”
My One Extraordinary Life (2022) Action, Adventure, CATTITUDE! Feline fantasy disguised as juicy memoir. The adventure tale follows the exploits of street-smart Fluff. The indomitable tabby asserts that unlike felines, few humans lead an extraordinary life. Throwing a lifeline to pampered Siamese siblings, Penelope and Odysseus, Fluff guides the trio through a series of mishaps and adventures. They find themselves in the sights of villains plucking animals off the cobble-stoned streets of Brussels.
Trials & Truffles, Expats in Brussels (2020) is the author’s second memoir. The book is loaded with stories and photos of Arkenberg and his husband’s two-year residency in the Belgian capital. Windy City Reviews offered the following critique: “Arkenberg’s descriptions are careful, precise, and guided by a sensitive author keen on capturing the love story he set out to share. I recommend this book for fans of travel writing, relationship-driven literary non-fiction, and of course, romantics everywhere…it’s a clear success.”
A Belgian Assortment (2018) is the author’s first short story collection. Windy City Reviews recommends the book, “for people who love well-written and compelling short fiction. A Belgian Assortment by T.D. Arkenberg is a skillfully written collection by an author with command of his craft. One word of warning, however: be prepared to finish the book and have a burning desire to renew your passport. Arkenberg’s Brussels is a city I could not bear to leave.”
Two Towers (2017), a memoir, focuses on three threads of the author’s life that merge simultaneously: his work for a global airline targeted by the September 11 terrorists; the deaths of his parents; and a struggle with a decades-old secret. Outskirts Press named Two Towers, 2018 Book of the Year.
None Shall Sleep (2016), set in London, Buenos Aires, and Italy, is the story of Isabella Fabrini, a woman tired of life as a corporate drone. Dreaming big, she sets her sights on the opera stage, declaring that “Opera is life.” This is a tale of love, loss, friendship, and triumph.
Jell-O and Jackie O (2014) captures the glamour and chaos of the 1960s including Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ emergence as a cultural icon. At its heart, this is a story of family and complex relationships with those we love. Independent Publishers awarded the book an IPPY for best regional fiction. Eric Hoffer Literary Society named it a Shortlist Finalist for their grand prize, and 1st runner up in Legacy Fiction.
Final Descent (2013), the author’s debut novel, taps into his lengthy career as a global airline executive. Set in corporate America, the book explores dynamics common in today’s business world: cutthroat competition, sacrifice, struggle, deceit, and decisions that test integrity and principles. The story examines whether kindness, compassion, and morality are virtues or vices when climbing the corporate ladder.
Other Publications:
A short story, Hollywood Calls, appears in Circle of Words, an anthology of Brussels-based writers. (Harvard Square Editions 2016). His award-winning stories, Aftershock and Parvis de Saint-Gilles appear in the group’s second and third anthologies, The Circle (Harvard Square Editions 2018), and The Circle 2019.