Reflecting on a summer vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains and the terrifying moment I tumbled down a slope on a 1970s family road trip. That childhood moment of defiant independence against my parents’ loving warnings taught me the difference between reckless independence and cautious guidance.

Discover how the quiet magic of the historic Defiance Public Library, a historic Carnegie Libary—built on the site of Fort Defiance—shaped a young girl into a children's author, proving that quiet reading is the ultimate source of creativity and mental peace.

A single moment of painful childhood discrimination can fuel decades of identity struggle. This is a story about reclaiming what makes us each unique and teaching children that being different is what makes them special and is their greatest strength and boldest design.