I Write For Kids!

I grew up on a cattle ranch in the middle of nowhere. The nearest neighbors were four miles away so when I wasn't riding my horse I was making muddies or writing books on Big Chief tablet paper. Mom sewed them together on her old treadle sewing machine.

When our daughter was about two she asked me to maker her a story, opposed to reading the great books on her shelf. It was spring so I made up a story about leprechauns and four-leaf-clovers as she cuddled beside me in the dark. The next night she wanted me to make the same story. Needless to say, I didn't get it word for word, and she was quite disappointed in my storytelling abilities. After she went to sleep, I decided I'd better write it down. One of my friends was a good artist so I asked her to illustrated the story and wha-la she turned it into the cutest book with her colored pencils. I gave the book to Carsi for her 3rd birthday.

Fast forward nearly two decades to when Carsi was a senior in college. Even though she was a biology major, she always had a book or two going. She kept one in her backpack, another under her bed and one in the family room. I was teaching Children's Literature at the collegiate level at the time and she often picked up a book I was reading for my classes. She still loved the great books for children: Bridge to Terebithia, Super Fudge, and of course the Little House books. When Spring Break came that year she planned to go skiing in Montana. Our son Tavis was a sophomore in college and he was going skiing with friends in Colorado. My husband, an athletic director, was headed for a national basketball championship that our Yellowjackets had qualified for. None of them invited me to go along. As she was packing, she actually thought of me!

"Well, Mom, why don't you write a book while you're home alone."

"Sure, what should I write about?"

"Patches."