As a child, when I was bored in class, I used to imagine life in reverse. These fantasies about backwards time became the raw materials for Otto Grows Down.   I started writing poems and short stories in junior high, and later began writing songs which I performed on piano and guitar.

I received my Bachelor of Arts in music composition and performance from Hampshire College, then switched gears and became a psychologist. I earned my doctorate in clinical psychology from Hahnemann University and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Menninger Foundation.  My doctoral thesis became the basis for my first book, A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy, which was a Main Selection for America's largest psychotherapy-related book club. I went on to edit a follow-up volume, titled A Perilous Calling: The Hazards of Psychotherapy Practice.

The day my son was born was the greatest day of my life. Ollie is a remarkable fellow, and is truly my muse. When he was five, after visiting a Science Museum exhibit on Einstein, he asked me: “What's the fastest thing in the universe?” When I couldn't guess the answer, he told me: “Nothing! Because nothing is faster than the speed of light!”  My son's joke—and his sense of wonder and delight—inspired me to write for children. Otto Grows Down is my first picture book, but there are more on the way!

Acknowledgements:

Since there wasn't space in the book, I'd like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the many people who helped me develop and refine Otto Grows Down. I'd especially like to thank Jacqueline Davies, Jane Karol, Frances Gilbert, my family, and my son, Oliver Quinn.

Special thanks to Scott Magoon, whose glorious illustrations brought Otto to life.