![I'd rather be reading by the fire!](images/family/img757-LindaSnow200w.jpg)
Me in Snowy
Cleveland
I was born in West Virginia, but moved to Cleveland, Ohio, with my parents and my brother Roger. I was two months old at the time and slept in an open dresser drawer my first night in Cleveland.
I grew up on Ardmore Avenue and had friends who were Italian, Syrian, Polish, German, and Irish. What a great neighborhood!
![Visiting farm in WV](images/family/img758-wheelBarrel-200w.jpg)
My Brother and Me
The idea for my book, The Best Bet Gazette, sprang from a neighborhood newspaper my friends and I wrote in my garage.
One day in the 6th grade I wrote in my notebook, “I know what I want to be when I grow up – a writer!”
Our Neighborhood
Newspaper
![Biking to library](images/img759-bike160w-lft.jpg)
Off to the Library
While attending James Ford Rhodes High School, a teacher complimented me on something I wrote. She asked to keep it to show her friends. (Little things like that can light a fire under would-be writers!) Another teacher, Mr. Lawrence, sparked my interest in history. He was so enthusiastic about early America and the founding fathers. His love of history was contagious!
![Air Force days](images/img761-lindaWerner175w.jpg)
Werner and Me
![My Kids](images/img762-kidsLindas200w.jpg)
My Kids - Lisa, Stephen,
Amy and Kathy
![Ideas for books](images/img765kidsIdeas200w.jpg)
My Kids Give Me Ideas
I earned a MA degree in Education at Northern Kentucky University and taught writing classes at NKU, as well as Language Arts at South Dearborn High School in Indiana. For several years, I served as a substitute teacher in elementary and middle schools in Kenton County, Kentucky. Of course, my favorite activity as a substitute was pulling a good book from the shelves and reading it to the kids.
When I was a child, I guess I thought all writers lived on clouds somewhere. One of the fun things about being a writer is the opportunity it gives me to visit schools and talk to children about my books. They discover that writers are just like them.
![Ockerman visit](images/img768-Ockerman180w.jpg)
Visiting Ockerman School
![Kippy](images/img261-kippy150w.jpg)
My Dog, the Future
Brutus the Wonder Poodle
I enjoy fiction, but lately I’ve been writing more nonfiction. I always loved school, and writing nonfiction is sort of like being a student all over again. It is so much fun to learn about the people, places, and historical events that I write about.
Of course, there are other perks to the writing life. I get to work at home and don't have to get up early and drive through ice and snow. I can work in my pajamas. And best of all, I can eat cookies while I work.