Some stories begin with a carefully planned outline. Driftwood Cove began on a napkin.

My daughter was five years old, and we were sitting at a table at Chili’s Great Chili in Pacific Grove, California.

While we waited, I began sketching out an idea for a children’s story on the napkin in front of me. I could see a little seaside village. There would be a harbor and fishing boats, a lighthouse watching over the coast, beaches and tide pools, wooded trails, hidden coves, and all sorts of creatures living along the shore and beneath the water. I didn’t know exactly what I was creating. I only knew that I could see it. And then life happened.

That little world stayed with me, […]