I grew up in Mankato, Minnesota, which is a perfect town for kids. When I was really young, I lived in a house right next to a big park with a zoo in the middle of it. I loved to watch the prairie dogs. We fed them grass and watched them hold the blades in their tiny hands. The best day at the zoo was when I heard the peacock burp!
When I was almost a teenager my family moved to a small town in Indiana. I was mad about moving. I didn’t like my new school and it took me a long time to make new friends. The best thing about moving to Indiana was finding my husband. After I found him, I stopped being so mad. (I was mad for a long time.) Now I love Indiana and I have lots of good friends.

I grew up and went to school to become a teacher. I learned a lot about kids and how much fun they are. I had so much fun with kids that I decided to have two of my own. When our daughters, Jordan and Madeline, were little, I started writing. I wrote while they made things with paint and glue. I wrote many, many stories. Most of them were very, very silly. Some of them were boring. I sent my best work out to find a publisher. Luckily, they liked three of my stories and turned them into books.