About the Author
I was born in Indiana to Ben and Judy Colter. I am the third of three sisters with one spunky tag-a-long little brother. While growing up in the country (That’s what we call it in Indiana if you don’t live in “town.”), I was able to help care for dogs, cats and horses. I also enjoyed driving the lawn tractor too fast when my Grandpa wasn’t looking.
Spending time in the big barn with my dad was one of my favorite past times. He let me oil “stuff” with the stinky, green oilcan and he let me watch him weld things together. Of course, I got to wear a special helmet for welding! My sisters and I got to help our dad dump corn into the grain bin at harvest time. One time, one of my sisters almost got sucked down into the auger!
Even though I enjoyed getting dirty and playing outside, I always had my hair done in some way. My mom was a hairstylist (just one of her many talents) so my sisters and I always looked good! When we were very young, we wore matching dresses, shoes, and shawls to church. That didn’t go over so well once we got older.
I didn’t particularly love school. I didn’t like to read things that didn’t interest me. However, I enjoyed “free writing” time. Sometimes, my teachers didn’t like my stories or my style of writing. By the end of middle school, I was convinced that I couldn’t write. I felt a little lost. Then, in my last year of high school, I had a teacher who encouraged me and helped me gain back my confidence in writing. I went on to college to become a teacher…and I got very good grades on my writing assignments.
I am married to Doug and we are blessed to have two fabulous kids, Benjamin and Olivia. We share our home with one wild and crazy dog named Brodie. I live in the same area where I grew up. I even teach at the school that I went to in grades K-12. But now I live in “town!” I have to admit that I would rather live in the country so my neighbors wouldn’t see me gardening in my pajamas.
So why did I write this book? Part of the reason was to help me deal with my own grief of losing my dad when I was 19. His death had a profound affect on our family and we still miss him after over 25 years. Another reason to write this story was to honor my husband’s sister, mother, and grandmother. You can read more about that on a different part of the site.
