Welcome!
Grandma always said, "Life is a school." I get a kick out of writing stories for youth (of all ages) about what I've learned along life's path—usually the hard way. Click on STORIES (from the school of life) for a laugh or two. I recently finished a memoir, THE BIPOLAR EXPRESS, a mashup of The Glass Castle and the Roseanne TV show, and I adore writing fun picture books and middle grade stories.
So, what do you get when you throw a socially anxious kid together with his confident younger cousin (who happens to have a lucky hand?) In MY LUCKY COUSIN, a few laughs and a little emotional growth. How about three sisters whose parents groom them to be chess prodigies? In CHESS QUEENS—HOW THE POLGAR SISTERS ROCKED THE WORLD, you get the scoop. And what about a spunky girl who gives her first political speech at age six, travels across the country by wagon train, and grows up to get Oregon women the vote? Hopefully some more laughs (of the girl power kind) in: SHE FORGOT HER MANNERS AND GOT THE VOTE—THE PIONEERING LIFE OF ABIGAIL SCOTT DUNIWAY. And what happens when you pair a once-in-a-176-year planet alignment with some brainiacs and a tech revolution? In NERD-VANA—THE VOYAGER RACE TO OUTER SPACE, you get the dirt.
Why My Lucky Cousin, Chess Queens, Abigail, and Voyager? They have traits in common that fascinate me—pioneers with drive and ambition, they constantly reinvented themselves. Now that I think about it, my favorite books as a kid were Little House on the Prairie and Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars. I live in the land of liquid sunshine—aka Portland Oregon—with my high school sweetheart Mike, and our son Drew, who recently graduated college. (Sigh. Why do they have to grow up so fast?) Click on NEWS for some (not so) up to the minute news. I love reading, whether it's to a toddler on my lap or sneaking off with my book club's latest pick. Click on GOOD READS for some of my favorite children's books. Our twin cats Midnight and Mittens keep me entertained—meowing to be let in or out what seems like fifty times a day, (I know, I know, I could easily be replaced by a cat door), drinking out of the toilet, bringing dead things home, and hissing at each other and their reflections—I didn't say they were the brightest cats on the block. Find me on Twitter: @brenda_niman , Instagram: brendaniman and Facebook or click on CONTACT to drop me a line.
So, what do you get when you throw a socially anxious kid together with his confident younger cousin (who happens to have a lucky hand?) In MY LUCKY COUSIN, a few laughs and a little emotional growth. How about three sisters whose parents groom them to be chess prodigies? In CHESS QUEENS—HOW THE POLGAR SISTERS ROCKED THE WORLD, you get the scoop. And what about a spunky girl who gives her first political speech at age six, travels across the country by wagon train, and grows up to get Oregon women the vote? Hopefully some more laughs (of the girl power kind) in: SHE FORGOT HER MANNERS AND GOT THE VOTE—THE PIONEERING LIFE OF ABIGAIL SCOTT DUNIWAY. And what happens when you pair a once-in-a-176-year planet alignment with some brainiacs and a tech revolution? In NERD-VANA—THE VOYAGER RACE TO OUTER SPACE, you get the dirt.
Why My Lucky Cousin, Chess Queens, Abigail, and Voyager? They have traits in common that fascinate me—pioneers with drive and ambition, they constantly reinvented themselves. Now that I think about it, my favorite books as a kid were Little House on the Prairie and Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars. I live in the land of liquid sunshine—aka Portland Oregon—with my high school sweetheart Mike, and our son Drew, who recently graduated college. (Sigh. Why do they have to grow up so fast?) Click on NEWS for some (not so) up to the minute news. I love reading, whether it's to a toddler on my lap or sneaking off with my book club's latest pick. Click on GOOD READS for some of my favorite children's books. Our twin cats Midnight and Mittens keep me entertained—meowing to be let in or out what seems like fifty times a day, (I know, I know, I could easily be replaced by a cat door), drinking out of the toilet, bringing dead things home, and hissing at each other and their reflections—I didn't say they were the brightest cats on the block. Find me on Twitter: @brenda_niman , Instagram: brendaniman and Facebook or click on CONTACT to drop me a line.
