As a child, I was blessed with good teachers who introduced me to writing. I wrote, and in return, they displayed my stories in the hallway, entered my essays in contests, praised my work, and encouraged me to continue writing. When I grew up, I became a teacher, guiding students in the love of the written word and helping them find their own true joy in writing. Now it is my turn once again to share the tales that dance in my imagination. My Tales from the Granite Countertop series for ages 11 and up includes THE CHILD PIRATE and PIRATES TO THE END, which are historical fiction, and NOT AS IT SEEMS, a realistic tale with deep, dark twists. My Jake series, about Jake who takes everything literally, is hiliarious reading for ages 8 and up.