About Monica A former weekly newspaper reporter and editor, Monica Vest Wheeler is a free-lance writer who focuses on historical, personality and human relationship features.  A graduate of the University of Evansville, she has researched and written seven Peoria, Illinois, area history books since 1994, covering topics from entertainment to medical, including The Grandest Views and Beyond the Mountaintop: A History of the Itoo Society. Monica has several more books in the works on a variety of subjects, including the Holocaust. She presents programs on Peoria history, writing, tolerance, and coping with health challenges.  Monica lives in Peoria with her husband, Roger, and they have a son, Gordo.