As soon as Lynn Jeffcott could toddle and talk, she shadowed her mother and father with a book in hand, pointing to the print and endlessly asking, "Mom, what's this letter and that letter? Dad, what words do they make?" She hungered for letters and words as much as she did her precious penny candy. She quickly discovered that words were like the ingredients her mother used to bake a cake --in the right measurements, they produced something sweet and appealing. Anxious to become a confectioner, she wrote her first manuscript, John's Adventures, at seven. Her second grade teacher, Mrs. Schoenenfeldt, transformed it into a book, typing it, putting it inside a cover of red construction paper, and placing it on the shelves of the Lapham School Library. Although John's Adventures wouldn't keep anyone awake at night anxiously turning pages, Lynn would do anything for a copy of the book today, because it is enshrined in memory as an early testament to what feeds her soul.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Lynn Jeffcott has written copy for speeches, billboards and newspaper ads, and spots for radio and television. While a member of the faculty and staff at two Iowa community colleges, she worked as an English instructor, advisor, and outreach specialist.