I’m an incurable optimist with a particular fondness for stories where the “little duck” wins in the end. I’m also an avid reader, writer, photographer, and adventurer. I love writing because I can tell my characters what to do–unless, of course, they have other ideas!
I like to explore the wonder of life’s simple treasures. You can often find me outside with my camera as I try to capture some of them– frost hair on rocks and leaves, glistening drops of rain clinging tightly to tree branches, stages of the moon on a clear night. I’ve even taken a number of pictures of our street light!
I was born in Whitefish, Montana. My family moved to a few different towns in Montana and Idaho and we ended up in Moyie Springs, Idaho just before I started eighth grade.
I graduated from Bonners Ferry High School in 1993. After that, I attended the University of Idaho and achieved a B.A. in English with a Creative Writing emphasis.
I was in second grade when I first knew I wanted to be a writer. I attended elementary school in Twin Bridges, Montana at the time.
Our teacher had us write and illustrate our own stories, and I wrote about our family’s White German Shepherd, Missie. The teacher filed the stories away in the school office and promised to return them when we graduated.
I was excited because I’d written a story that children could understand and enjoy.
Later that year my family moved and I never got my story back. But the seed was planted and I’ve wanted to write fun stories for children ever since.
I currently live in northern Idaho with my husband Barry and our two youngest children, along with a yellow lab named Mini Caramel Latte and a tri-color calico named Maggie Skittles Seward. Each and every member of my family (including the furry ones) inspires creativity and more stories than I can capture in writing.