Coleen Paratore is a native of Troy, New York, and the eldest of six children. Her lifelong love of reading can be traced back to weekly trips with her mother to the Troy Public Library. Coleen's fascination with words has taken her from first place in a grammar-school poetry contest to a Master's Degree in English from Trinity College. After leaving the workforce in 1994 to become a full-time mother of three, Coleen spent her days introducing her children to the world around them. "I didn't know that I would one day write children's books, yet everything in my life was leading me that way." When her oldest son turned ten, the spark of writing burst into full flame. With more than 17 books to her name, Coleen knows the importance of believing in one's self. "Find what it is you love to do - because that is your gift - and then find a way to share it.

" A fan of travel, theater, and movies, Coleen recently moved back to Troy, where she intends to continue writing.