Like most little girls, Coleen wanted a horse...but her parents said the backyard was too small. That opened a totally new world for her, one filled with books to read and stories to write. She now has two Master of Arts degrees, one from the University of Iowa in English literature and one from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in dogmatic theology, summa cum laude. Her professional background includes teaching English composition and literature courses at the college level for ten years and serving as an editor in the healthcare profession for fifteen years. Her first story, written at age seven, was about a hippopotamus. She has been writing ever since.