I grew up in a tiny town in the middle of an Upper Michigan forest - with a population of 27. We lived in one of the seven remaining houses of the defunct dynamite factory. As kids we traipsed through ruins of the factory that had been reclaimed by the woods, delighting in the possibility that any strange substance could actually be dynamite.

Perhaps this is why I have always dreamed of traveling to far away locales teaming with their own stories and rich histories. I love the concept of depicting a range of intriguing people, clothes, architecture, and scenarios that take you to another place or time, but remain familiar in the emotion and scenarios shown.

While my kids may never traipse around dynamite factories in person, there is nothing I like more than cuddling up with them to explore those places through the pages of a good book.

I am represented by Wendy Lynn and Co.