Gloria Zachgo

As a child I had the freedom to roam our Kansas farm while riding my horse and favorite friend, Nellie. I also attended one of the last in the country, one-room schoolhouses for my first eight years of education. I became quite independent (it sounds better than saying I was a little stubborn) and a self-learner.

When I became an adult I fulfilled my dream of becoming a wife and mother. My high school sweetheart and I are still together today. And I am still finding new and exciting things to explore. My interests, likes, and dislikes are changing constantly and I’m usually most passionate with whatever I’m doing at the time. But two of my passions—writing and painting—seem to be loves that are not going to leave me soon.

I told very few people that I was writing The Rocking Horse. So when I had a completed manuscript, it was a surprise for my friends and family. I love writing about ordinary everyday people and their struggles with what life deals them. I came to love the characters in telling Julie’s story. I hope my readers do too.