I wrote my first novel when I was ten years old. My young adult novel, Legends of Home, was published when I was nineteen. Legends of Home was a young adult novel in the early 1990s, before young adults had a section in the library. Legends of Home brings fantastic creatures in contact with the teen-agers in my hometown, altering them all forever.

I have a BA in Creative Writing from University of California at Santa Cruz. My stories are appear locally and nationwide in publications from Dreams and Nightmares to DogFancy magazine. I received a Jack London Writing Award and a National Scholastic Writing Award. I recently completed an MFA in Creative Writing.

I write about everything from werewolves to the Dark Kingdom, including Dirt, Lord of All Things Dark and Mysterious, Moonwater, and The Goblin Queen.

In The Goblin Queen, Annabelle is a living ghost. People cringe at the sound of her name. They run from her in nightmares. The Queen’s armies hunt her. As forbidden magic simmers inside, she must live in the shadows. Can she stay in control long enough to defeat ancient evils? Having a father who was the dreaded Warlock is no easy heritage. Is she doomed to walk in his footsteps?

I also design picture books for my classroom. Kids adore The Monster Mixer. Beginning readers flip one section of the page, then read the entire page again. The fluent readers anticipate changing pieces before they actually move the paper.

I write and illustrate for my four year old daughter. Mighty Tyg uses simple and vivid illustrations to introduce habitats and vocabulary. Building on the interactive qualities of books like I Spy, these illustrations introduce our world's amazing animals in a beautiful way.

Growing up, I constantly return to writing. In high school, I was the youngest student in the senior level writing classes. In college, I petitioned my way into advanced classes as a sophomore. Professors evaluated my work as "phantasmagoric" and "even masterful." While earning my teaching credential, a professor approached me over a journal assignment. "You're going into the wrong line of work," he said. "You should be a writer." I adore teaching and my students. Yet I am at home with stories. Click here to email the author.

Illustrations ©2007 Lenka Vodicka

Collage textures were painted by Anika when Anika was 2 years old. I cut and assembled Anika's washes to create the landscapes- a two year old illustrator! Anika also helped glue on leaves and branches. Click on a picture to see a larger version with more texture. You don't want to miss the piranhas!

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