Although I was born in Topeka, Kansas, I grew up in small-town Oregon. As a young girl I play-acted the days away with grand adventures on the banks of Muddy Creek and in the nearby Cascade Foothills. Understandably, both Kansas and Oregon have found their way into my novels for both children and adults. Recent releases include my award-winning young-adult novel, BEFORE THE LARK, (set in Kansas) from Texas Tech University Press, and my humorous contemporary Oregon mystery series, WHERE GABLE SLEPT and WHERE DANGER DANCED from Riveredge Books.The significant role women and children played in developing the west, against incredible hardship, has long intrigued me and that particular theme is illustrated in The Women of Paragon Springs, my series about a group of women who build their own town as a means to survive the raw Kansas frontier. I'm excited to announce that LONG ROAD TURNING, BLUE HORIZONS, NO OTHER PLACE, and REAP THE SOUTH WIND, originally published in hardcover by Five Star, are available in trade paperback and as e-books.My historical novel, THE PLAINSWOMAN, a Western Writers of America Spur Award finalist, is available in print and e-book formats, as are HAVEN, a love story set in Oregon's Hells Canyon, and THE BARGAIN, based in part on my own family history. A children's book, TO RAINBOW VALLEY, and a YA novel, ANSWER ME, ANSWER ME, are available in paperback.My memberships include Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Western Writers of America, and I am a founding member of Women Writing the West. When not at the computer working on the next novel, I like to spend time with my busy and growing family. Other interests include travel, sports events, concerts, and of course--reading! I enjoy life in Jefferson, Oregon with my husband, Bob, a retired research chemist, and the King-of-Everything, our rescue cat, Quigley.Visit me at www.irenebennettbrown.net