"As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as wide as you think." --Native American ProverbChildren's book author, speaker and teacher BARBARA JEAN HICKS claims that everything she knows about writing, she learned from her favorite cat. Miguel had a nose for adventure, she says, leaping into the unknown like an old-world explorer, learning along the way. And he had the scars to prove it.A writer, too, is a curious creature, Barbara says, always sniffing about for new ideas. Observing, reading, eavesdropping. Haunting favorite places and exploring new ones. Paying attention."For me," says Barbara, "starting a story is an adventure, a leap into the unknown. I might begin with a curious bit of dialogue, a vivid description, a word or phrase that tickles my funny bone. Before I have any real idea where I'm going, I'm on my way. I let the writing take me where it wants to. It's only after I've plunged into a project that I begin to find out what it's really about. The act of writing teaches me what my story is, how it wants to be told, why it matters. Slowly. Rewrite after rewrite. Not very efficient, I'm afraid. Messy. Unpredictable. Fun!" Her writing mantra, Barbara claims, is simple: Look, leap and learn!Almost as much as she loves to write, Barbara loves presenting assemblies and writing workshops in schools as a visiting author. She has taught at every level from preschool to community college and worked in an elementary school as author-in-residence, program facilitator and parent educator. In conjunction with her school visits, Barbara also offers a publishing program for student work.Barbara Jean, a.k.a. the Story Queen, lives in Oxnard, California but considers Northwest Washington her home. Visit her online at www.barbarajeanhicks.com.