Gloria Davidson Marlow was born in a small oak hammock on the coast of Northeast Florida. She moved once...two miles from the home where she grew up. She is now once again happily ensconced beneath the oak trees of her childhood with her husband and three children. Flowers for Megan is her first published novel. Some of my earliest memories are of being read to by my mom. She instilled in me a love for the written word that has never left me(or her). After I started school, she would take me to the library, which was about thirty miles from home and I still remember how much I loved swinging that door open and feeling that rush of air conditioned air, what a luxury! But it was the smell of all those books that I really loved, and the knowledge that somewhere among all those shelves I would find a book that would let me experience a different era, lifestyle, or world. Now, at thirty-three, there still isn't much I'd rather do than curl up with a good book. So, I thank my mom for giving me such a life long passion for reading. It was mom, too, who encouraged me to write. I remember once, when I was about fifteen, trying to write a novel. I tore page after page out and threw them in the trash can in my room. When I got home from school the next day, there was my notebook and the crumpled pages were stuck back inside. I still remember how mom had smoothed them all out and wrote me the most encouraging letter about my talent and how much she believed I could do this. So, I did it, Mom! Thank you!