Deborah Mercier more than you wanted to know...

After working as a technical writer for eight years, I dusted off the adjectives and earned an M.F.A. in creative writing from Minnesota State University Moorhead. I live in Glenwood, MN with my husband and two children and have published short stories in Red Weather, ESC! Magazine, and online at edificeWRECKED.com. My books include The Cat and the Canvas, The Captain's Hat, The Adventures of Molly & Skunky and myBook.

Member, Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators

Okay. But remember, you asked for it.

I grew up in the Twin Cities, graduated from Osseo High School (Osseo, MN), went to St. Cloud State University for my undergrad degree, and promptly forgot that I liked to write. With my trusty English degree, I worked as a customer service rep until I found employment in Glenwood, MN as a technical writer for a medical software company.

While it was a great place to work, and I had the best bosses on the planet, something was missing. I realized it was adjectives. I went back to school and earned an M.F.A. in creative writing from Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Currently, I'm a proofreader for the Pope County Tribune. and a Title Tutor at Minnewaska Area High School. I've got several books on the market, and two more currently in the works. In my spare time, I do some contract writing for area businesses and haul kids to various music lessons. Occasionally I sleep. Mostly I pick things up.

Here's a bulleted list of some of the more interesting things I've done: (I still can't shake some of those tech writing habits...)

• Played the piccolo solo from "Stars and Stripes Forever" to a crowd in Moscow
• Had two kids
• Swam with dolphins
• Got lost in Tokyo
• Climbed Angel's Landing in Zion National Park
• Jumped out of an airplane
• Ate ham loaf

I've got two kids -- Cole, 12 and Kallan, 10. Newton, our resident dog, was bred specifically to lie around looking fluffy. My husband, Jay, is an RPT (registered piano technician). We're officially a six-letter family.

"I write down everything I want to remember. That way, instead of spending a lot of time trying to remember what it is I wrote down,
I spend the time looking for the paper I wrote it down on."
~ Beryl Pfizer