Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton is a full-time author and speaker with more than forty books. Her first children's title, Why Cowboys Sleep with Their Boots On, has sold more than 40,000 copies and received the Premier Print Award from Eastman Kodak. A former elementary school teacher, she now gives presentations on an international level at trade shows, schools, libraries, and conferences. She is author of Why Cowboys Need a Pardner; Why Cowgirls are Such Sweet Talkers; Why Cowboys Need a Brand; Nana's Rice Pie; and Red, White, and Blue. Knowlton is the mother of two cowgirls of her own and when she's not working, she loves kickin' back on her ranch, Roots n' Wings in Medina, Ohio.