Born in Evanston, Illinois, Karen Tootelian-Westermann has been writing since childhood. A writer and editor, she is the author of Nobody Knows What It's Like to Be 6 and John Peter Zenger: Free Press Advocate. Her poetry, feature articles, and environmental essays have been published in a variety of magazines. Karen lived in Ohio, Switzerland, and Illinois before settling in Virginia. She moved to rural Virginia after college and fell in love with its rivers. Karen has a daughter and a son, Jessica and Michael Mountcastle. She now lives with her husband, Lee, her amazing dog Bandit, and sweet Dakota and Tacoma cats along the Mattaponi River.

To purchase books, schedule a reading or an event, or to chat with the author, e-mail Karen Tootelian-Westermann.