Toledo, Ohio. That's where I was born. Home of the Mud Hens, Tony Packo's Famous Hot Dogs, and lots of good memories. My first adventure sent me across the ocean where I lived with a Muslim family in Tunisia. When AFS (American Field Service) called to tell me, I thought I'd be spending the summer in the South Pacific. Hello. Just because Indonesia and Tunisia rhyme, doesn't mean they're next to each other. That was my first lesson learned.

By the time I returned from North Africa, my life had changed. For good. I learned that girls couldn't walk to the store; they couldn't swim, or get married without parental approval. Not right is right! Fascinated and enraged by cultural differences, I made it my life-long mission to help people understand the consequences of prejudice. In college I went back to Africa, along with Asia and Europe to study. Along the way I ate fish-head soup, snake's blood, and met some incredible people. After working for a few years, I went to Teachers College of Columbia University and earned a Masters in International Education. Then I started a consulting business in multicultural education. I also married Dan, who's Jewish, and spent a lot of time eating great matzo ball soup made by his mother. We eventually left the East Coast and headed west where I continue to work in schools, libraries, and recreation centers as a diversity consultant. Of course, living in Colorado means I get to ski, which I love almost as much as writing.

After my third (and final) child was born I wrote a book about religious tolerance called Soul Sunday: A Family's Guide to Exploring Faith and Teaching Tolerance. Much to my surprise, it won seven national awards! I guess growing up Lutheran, living with a Muslim family, marrying into a Jewish one, and studying Asian religions helped after all. Now I write books for kids, instead of parents. It's way more fun.