Author Bio for Kids

Gretchen McMasters grew up in South Carolina, and she spent a lot of time outside.

“My dad loved to be outdoors,” said Gretchen. “He taught me to swim, fish, hunt, water ski, ride motorcycles, hang glide and do other things that girls just didn’t do back then.”

In elementary school, Gretchen struggled to read. Her mother took her to the public library. There, she discovered the Black Stallion series by Walter Farley. A huge horse lover, Gretchen devoured all of Farley’s books. Suddenly, she was reading everything in sight. By the time she reached the sixth grade, she was a good reader.

Words were a big thing around Gretchen’s house. Her father was self-educated, and he had a voracious appetite for knowledge.

“If Dad heard a word that he didn’t know, he would trot to the bookcase and pull the dictionary off the shelf. I remember watching his long fingers turn the pages as he searched for the word. Then with eyes gleaming, he would read the definition out loud.”

When Gretchen was in the sixth grade, her teacher, Mrs. Mabry, put a sign over the blackboard that quoted Eleanor Roosevelt.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Gretchen looked at the sign every morning. The words stuck.

“I still remember that sign. I never forgot the words, and I’m proud to say that I work to apply them.”

Gretchen wasn’t always a writer. She’s done many things over the years. She started and ran her own businesses, helped other people start and run their businesses, worked in TV production and high-tech, trained people to do their jobs better, taught school and finally became a published author.

Gretchen became Aesock’s mother when he dropped in from Static Island for a visit…and stayed! The little fellow explained who he was, and then returned several dozen pairs of odd socks that had gone missing over the years. Once his mission was accomplished, he found a comfortable spot in the living room where he now sits except when he’s helping Gretchen write.

“Actually, Aesock does all the writing. I just type,” said Gretchen. “He’s really committed to helping kids and adults learn that all things ARE possible to those who believe.”

Gretchen loves horses, nature, wolves, motorcycles and cowboy boots. She lives in the mountains in beautiful Northern Arizona.