The "Queen of Clubs" in the "Deck of Cards" costume I created one Halloween. I entered a costume contest and won a stuffed, green alligator!
I was born in Madison, Wisconsin, where my parents met during graduate school. I grew up on the East Coast, where I
attended Georgetown University Law Center and practiced law in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, Illinois. In 2007, my family and
I moved to the Pacific Northwest where we now live with our mischievous cat.
Writing has always been a passion. I've been writing stories for over twenty years and publishing my writing has
been one of my greatest dreams. I was most influenced to write by my mother, but both my parents, as well as my paternal grandfather
and maternal grandmother, are and were excellent writers.
I love writing stories for children. My first book,
Before You Were Here, Mi Amor was inspired by the birth of
my sister's first children. The idea for my second book,
The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred popped into my head
as I was cooking. I laughed, suddenly envisioning a cow contributing her milk and a hen offering her eggs. My plot
began evolving and I started writing. I have also written a novel, which I am currently revising.
Favorite Books
My list of favorite books is lengthy, but six at the top include "Watership Down" by Richard Adams, "Lonesome Dove" by
Larry McMurtry, "The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay, "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole, "The Bear Went Over the
Mountain" by William Kotzwinkle, and "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger.
Some children's favorites are "Dinner at the Panda Palace" by Stephanie Calmenson, "One Hungry Monster" by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe,
"Agent A to Agent Z" by Andy Rash, "Brave Irene" by William Steig, "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, "It's Hard to Read
a Map with a Beagle on Your Lap" by Marilyn Singer, "Ruby Flew Too!" by Jonathan Emmett, "When Agnes Caws" by Candace Fleming,
"The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis, and the "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling.
Learn more about Samantha.
