A tale of sparkly treasures, mangled words, peculiar meetings, and a packrat who discovers the meaning of family and home.

Everything is perfect in Flora’s packrat life, although there’s something awful about the dreaded cliff. “Beware!” packrats warn, and Flora’s stomach twists into knots. But when she learns about the ancestral packrat home stuffed in the cliff’s crack and the intruder who has taken over, everything changes. Including Flora’s perfect life.
Winner!!! 2021 Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY Award in Animals/Pets/Nature Fiction
Finalist!!! 2022 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards in Juvenile Fiction and Animals/Pets
Honorable Mention! 2022 New Mexico Press Women’s Award in Children’s Fiction
“This is a delightful story for young readers interested in animals and nature. . . .a feast for developing vocabularies, as Flora—who talked early—loves words and puns. The resulting text is linguistically rich and frequently humorous. Spot art at the beginnings of chapters helps readers visualize the animals and setting, enhancing the mood of the story. An entertaining animal adventure.” Kirkus Reviews
From My Blog
Nuts to This
I continued prying nuts as my fingers grew stickier. No worries–the pitch had to be good for my skin.
Bearded Ladies, Angels, and Sweat
“I caught myself staring at a man/woman with a suspicious looking beard. It was painted on his/her face–a face that looked decidedly feminine.”
Mud and My Aching Back
I was in good shape for the project and feeling energetic. That was then.