ABOUT ME

KIWI

I live in New Zealand which makes me a Kiwi. The population is just over 5 million and I reside in a coastal city of about 150,000 people. We're pretty laid back like our Aussie cousins, and we love rugby and support the All Blacks, our national team. They wear a black uniform with a silver fern emblem.

The country is famous for kiwi birds and kiwifruit. Because NZ is long and narrow, it doesn't matter where you are, you're never far from the beach. Scenery is spectacular in any season. If you've never been to visit, come on over. You won't be disappointed.

WRITING

Writing stories has been fun for me since I could scribble with crayons. As a teacher, I wrote stories and then read them to my students. I printed many of the picture books on the computer, drew in the pictures, and then glued them up. I felt like a published author, but I dreamed of being a real one some day.

My current Work in Progress is the the second book in the new Silver Sleuth series called 'Boston Betrayal' which is a sequel to 'Atlantic City Attitude.' They are the first books in the new Silver Sleuth Series which star Alice and her friends.

DOG

If I was a dog, I'd be a German shepherd, so this photo on the left would be

my family portrait with my husband and three children. I know, cute family.

Guess which is me. I love their strength of character, intelligence, and fierce loyalty. As I wasn't born a German shepherd, I adopted a puppy in 1995 and called her Jazz. For 13 years I had the honor of being her mom, and I loved her like she was one of my children. When her time came, she went to sleep with her head on my lap and her muzzle in my hand, so I was the last thing she saw and smelled as she went to sleep. I felt broken for a long time after she died and took some

sick leave at work because apparently her passing didn't qualify for bereavement leave. I decided to rescue an abused dog to distract me from my grief. She came with many fears and phobias, especially moving your hands too quickly, and any flashlights as her abuser liked to beat her when she was tied up outside at night. She had just had her first birthday when she joined our family. Three years later and it was time to give her a little brother. He had been left tied to a clothesline for several weeks with no water, food or shelter. Rio is a very cruisy boy and had a calming influence on his big sister. Sadly Bree has passed away, and now we also have Miss Molly Menace who was found wandering abandoned in the countryside, and we have the beautiful little Coco Chanel, although I prefer to call her Coco Pops, whose owner decided she wanted to travel more often. They have been a wonderful addition to our family.

SNOW SPORTS

Author Jianna Higgins loves skiing and anowboarding and writes her books during rest times.

In my early teenage years I learned to ski. Being at the snow was my happy place and I went at every opportunity. Nothing rivalled skiing on my fun list. There were some accidents along the way, nothing serious. Mostly they involved jumping off things and not always landing - bad for knees and ankles.

About fifteen years ago a radio station ran a competitiion and the prize was a season pass plus a snowboard. I only wanted the pass so I phoned up and answered a question. To win I had to be present at the draw so I showed up on time. There were hundreds of names in the barrel. One name was read out. It wasn't mine but the person wasn't there. A second name was pulled, and again, the person had not turned up. Third name, mine! Not only did I have a season pass, I owned a pretty green snowboard. I didn't want it and planned to sell it. Some time later I decided to give it a whirl, why not right?

Snowboarders had been frowned upon by the skiers for years. It was time to look at the scenery from the other side. It was pretty great.

As the years went by, I realized that the ratio of skiing to snowboarding was changing. Now, if I go to the mountain for five days, I am likely to snowboard for four of those days. And sometimes I can be on my skis wishing I was on my board. Not always. Winter is definitely my season. I love the crispness of cold weather and the crunch of snow beneath my feet. Once the mountains close I am counting down right through summer and waiting for it to end. When I'm on the mountain, I have a notebook in my small day pack, so I can sit and write while giving my muscles a break. At night I love to sit by the roaring fire lost in writing. Good times!