Was born June 7, 1946, to Lake Clarence Arkward and Marie Hunter Arkward. I am the youngest of the eight children, four boys and four girls. I graduated from a Catholic high school in 1964 at Saint Francis de Sale in Palatine, Virginia. I was taught by the sisters of the blessed sacrament. It was a private school, and I lived on campus with girls from most states in the United States and from other countries around the world, such as Japan, Aruba, Canada, and Cuba. I never dreamed that I would become an author of children’s stories. However, my inspiration for writing children’s stories came from my grandchildren. They would make little statements and tell little lies, so I decided to put their actions and words into a book. It was so easy to write about them because they were always talking to me. I always listen to them and add to their conversation. I trust that they will read my books to their children, listen to their children, and someday become authors themselves. I grew up in a family without a television or any other electronic equipment. We listen to the radio and use our imagination; therefore, it is easy for me to use my imagination to make up stories based on facts and fiction. If I have my grandchildren to inspire me, I will continue to write children’s stories.