Originally from SE PA, moved to central PA 44 years ago for my late husband’s career with 2 children and a dog. I spent 34 years in real estate sales & dabbled in community theatre for almost 40 with local community theatres & had a short radio career.

I’ve had dogs almost my entire life the last buddy was a Scottish Terrier named McTavish. He was lovable Scotty who was on with everyone, including cats. I’ve made him the inspiration for my series & because children learn in school to respect people by calling them by Mr, Mrs, or Ms, I gave him the name Mr. McTavish. 

Additionally, my inspiration to have each book not only be in Mr. McTavish’s words, but I also became involved with a teacher through donorschoose.org. This organization helps teachers all over America receive things they need to help their classes get supplies or devices required for their schools that aren’t available through budgets or funding. 

I became aware of a teacher that was looking to fund the cost of a charging cart for her students to recharge their iPads overnight. They were not permitted to take them home & found them spending too much time running around looking for an outlet to plug them in. I sent her all the money she needed to purchase the cart & she sent me a sweet thank you through the website. 

About six months later I received a heavy Manila envelope with over fifty hand made thank-you notes in it. Some were a word or two and others were small paragraphs with colored pictures. So cute. She sent a note & asked that I pick 3 and send a picture to her with them in my hands. I couldn’t pick just 1, so I spread 2 fans of the notes & tacked them to a black poster board & wrote in white-out that they were all winners. 

I pledged myself to try & visit her & the children one day soon & I always take my McTavish when I visit children. But circumstances change rapidly and I never could get there before McTavish passed. When covid hit I sat & decided to write a book about the experience. Found a publisher.