Hi. I'm a children's book author and former college English and journalism professor. I love meeting kids in schools and bookstores--to read from my books, talk about writing and learn about what interests them.
Welcome to my website!
Here you'll learn a bit about me, my books and writing projects. Information about scheduling a reading or school visit can be found here.
SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Where did you grow up? Tell us about your early years.
I grew up in a large family on a southern Minnesota dairy farm. One of my chores was to run down the lane and bring the cows up to the barn for milking. I also helped in the garden, did chores around the house, helped build fancy hay forts and ran around on the farm with my six brothers and sisters. But I also spent lots of time alone taking long walks along the creek or to the fields. Those times of solitude helped foster creativity in me and nurtured my desire to tell stories.
When did you start writing?
I’ve been involved with writing in one way or another since I was a young girl. I first tried to get something published when I was in third grade. It was a terribly overwrought poem that I sent to a girls’ magazine after writing it out by hand on a piece of cardboard. Thankfully, it never made it into print!
But I never lost my love of writing. Eventually, I went to college and majored in journalism. I have written many articles for newspapers and magazines and worked as the editor of a couple magazines before becoming a college professor who encouraged students to tell stories of their own.
What are your favorite pastimes?
Today I live in the Twin Cities with my husband, Jim. I spend lots of time playing with my grandchildren, having tea parties, building forts and getting inspiration from them for children’s books to write.
I love to kayak, garden, go on long walks, ride my bike and read, read, read. No matter what I’m doing, I usually have our Goldendoodle Lloyd to keep me company.
“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”