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Personal Biography

Yep.  That's me.    Writing tablet in tow. 
Sportin' some fine hair, too!

 I have been writing and illustrating books for as long as I can remember. 

As a child, I wrote stories just for fun.  Now as an adult, I write to make a living.  I love being creative with words.
 
My parents saved many of the books I created when I was little, and I bring these with me when I speak in schools and libraries.  Kids, parents and teachers love to see what my childhood writing was like - it was far from perfect!

Even though my books were riddled with errors in structure and mechanics, I certainly had fun creating them. 

Learning the mechanics of writing is an important skill. However, I believe kids also need to experience writing as a creative art form.  
As play. 
As an adventure with the mind and imagination. 

That said, every now and then, I believe it's okay to push the mechanics aside in honor of creativity.  I am living proof of this.

My first story for children, Way Out in the Desert, was published in 1998.  Remarkably, it was published by the first publisher I submitted it to.  I will be forever grateful to the editor (Erin Murphy, now a children's literary agent), who pulled my manuscript from the "slush pile", liked what she saw, and set a course of action in motion that changed my life.

The Sonoran Desert was, and still is, the source of inspiration for many of my books.  My backyard in Arizona was a certified wildlife habitat, and I tiptoed through tarantulas and sidestepped rattlesnakes on a daily basis.  Really, I did.  (Take a look!)

After spending most of my life living in the desert, I relocated back to my childhood hometown in the Midwest, where many of the stories I created as a child took place. It's a college town with brick streets that have stories of their own, ancient oak trees that command respect, birds I am trying to identify, and a strong sense of community.  Oh, and we have snakes here, too.  So far none of them have rattled at me, but I was camping one particular night and found three - THREE - copper head snakes in my campsite.  I'm a snake magnet.  What can I say?

Since moving back to my childhood town, I am discovering how conducive a Midwest winter can be to writing - a wee bit different than wintering in the sunshine and warmth of the Southwest, where hiking trails beckon under a blazing sun, year-round.

My daughter, boyfriend and I share our home with two great dogs, Marley & Bandit, a cat we call Jazz.  When I am not writing, you can usually find me outdoors, exploring, gazing at clouds, daydreaming and creating adventures.

Bandit, Marley and Me	Bandit, with a smile.	Marley	Jasmine, looking a little stressed (not!)	My childhood neighborhood; my current neighborhood.
Bandit walking the Watershed, winter.	Watershed, spring	Jennifer Ward	A nectar bat visiting our back porch in Arizona.	And one more rattlesnake, this one on my front porch.

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