The first thing Wendy remembers writing was her own newspaper, which featured an interview with the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker. She was 6 years old. She didn’t know it then, but journalism was to become her career. She wrote for The Raleigh Times, The News & Observer, and The Roanoke (Va.) Times. In Roanoke, she eventually was named the editor and then the publisher.

Upon retiring, she moved from Roanoke to Charlottesville—and from non-fiction to fiction. She has written two novels and has plans for a third, as well as more adventures for Ingeborg and Esmeralda. When she isn’t writing, she loves reading, gardening, cooking, and playing video games…but only games with elves and dragons in them.

Andrea has been an artist since the day she could hold a pencil and brush. Her first collected piece, saved by a friend’s mother who saw something special, was a painting done in nursery school illustrating life for orphans in another country. Making art for others to enjoy and understand has always been Andrea’s goal. For her, each piece needs to be beautiful and have a message, even when the message is as straightforward as, “This gorgeous blue makes me happy!”

Andrea was born in and lives in New York City and has also resided in Paris, France, and Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her work includes costumes and sets for theater and dance, clothing and textile development, writing and book illustration, decorative patterns for home products, jigsaw puzzles, greeting cards, mosaics, painting, and sculpture of all kinds. Her embroidery work has been used to create teaching programs in Afghanistan. Andrea makes beautiful things all day almost every day.