NY…First Books…& Kids

My best friend at the University of Wisconsin came from New York City. One summer vacation, she invited me home to visit. For me, it was love at first sight. New York thrummed with excitement. I thrived on its hustle-bustle, its clang & bang. I loved its towering canyons of skyscrapers and its great bridges – bridges that led to Opportunities with a capital O. It seemed that anything could happen in the Big Apple. Maybe even my secret dream of becoming a writer.

So after college, I moved there. Not too long after that, I married my hometown beau Jack Demuth, and we settled in Brooklyn. Jack was a photographer. We wondered, ‘Could we possibly do books together?’

Our chance trotted in on horseshoes. His name was Hannon and he worked for the New York City Mounted Police. We found out that Hannon was born in the country—like us. How did he survive this rumbling giant of a city? Where did he sleep at night? Did he ever get a chance to gallop? Jack took his camera and I my notebooks, and we set off to find some answers. Months later we landed the delight of our first book contract. (City Horse. Dodd, Mead and Company; 1979)

Then our two wonderful sons bounced into the scene. From the start, Daniel and Luke were full of fun and ready for action. We moved back to the Midwest, to Chicago. And soon Chicago captured my heart, too.