I was born in Wisconsin and was the middle of three children and the only boy.  Yep, it was tough being sandwiched between two sisters ... but, please, don't tell them I said that;-)

After I finished kindergarten, my sisters, parents and I moved to Arizona. We returned to Wisconsin seven years later, but not until after I'd taken some childhood forays into the world of writing. First, I created a little newspaper, one which actually had no news. Instead it was filled with facts about animals of the present and dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals of the past. I also created a comic book series and put it in the paper for variety. I don't remember much about the series, except that the main character was a boy with spiky hair. One summer, I also spent time creating a book. The title was "Prehistoric Animals". I filled the book with color pencil drawings, facts and pronunciation guides of every dinosaur and prehistoric animal I could find. I still have this book today. The newspapers, alas, are long gone. 

I wasn't happy when my parents decided we should move back Wisconsin. Not only was I leaving my friends, I was also leaving a warm climate for a very cold one. I decided I would someday return to the land of sunshine, beautiful deserts, canyons and mountains. And eventually, I did. And that's where I made my first professional writing sale - a humorous filler to Arizona Highways Magazine. I haven't stopped writing since and don't ever plan to. I need to write, to create.

So why do I write what I write? Well, I love a good story, especially one filled with mystery, suspense and/or humor. I also love animals, puzzles, funny poems, some not so funny poems and silly jokes and riddles.

As a child my love for animals showed up in both my choice of reading materials and pets. At different times I had turtles, toads, salamanders, dogs, tropical fish and weird fish that weren't fish (they turned out to be mosquito larvae!). As an adult I've stuck more to dogs and cats as pets. 

I also spend time around cool animals as a docent at the local zoo. Here I talk to children and adults about large animals like giraffes, jaguars, rhinos, lions, tigers, bears, elephants, alligators ... and about the importance of conservation and wild habitat preservation.

I also bring out some of the zoo's smaller animal ambassadors, animals such as snakes, armadillos, turtles, hedgehogs and Madagascar hissing cockroaches. I believe when people can learn about and view such animals up close they will  develop a greater appreciation for all animals.  

Animals have especially found their way into my writing for children. They've been main characters in some of my fiction, poetry, puzzles and riddles and the subjects of a many non-fiction articles. 

I love the sunsets, canyons, mountains and deserts of the western U.S., and enjoy traveling, listening to music and hiking. And, like all writers, I love to read. 



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