Barbara Schlichting has been writing for as long as she can remember. “My grandpa gave me a pen and tablet when I was about ten, and I thought I’d died and gone to heaven,” says Schlicting. “My pen pal of 55 years is really the one who kept me writing and using my imagination. We wrote back and forth and we talked about everything under the sun because we were kids and she wanted me to explain things clearly.” Schlichting earned a Bachelors in Education and a Masters in Special Education from Bemidji State University. She taught at the elementary school level for a couple of years before transitioning to a career as a writer. She lives in Bemidji, Minnesota.