Hi, my name is Carole Ann Volavka. I'll tell you a little about myself and how I came to write this story. I have had a lifelong passion to be a writer. My earliest memory was when I was about eight. I tried to write a short story, or I should say, I did write a story about a dog that thought he was a cat, but no one could read it because I was a terrible speller. My sister made fun of me, so I gave up trying. But I didn't give up my dream. I kept writing, but I didn't show them to anyone-that is, not until I was a junior in high school, and my English teacher gave a writing assignment. It was to write a short story about anything we wanted. So I took it to heart, and I wrote, and the more I wrote, the more I wanted to write. The teacher could read it and understand it. I received an A and a note that read, "Carole, you have a tallent and an imagination. Keep up the good work." I still have that story. After I married and had a family, I would tell my children stories that were in my head. My son said I should write them down, but I never did, not until my son passed away in 2005, and I started writing just to keep my sanity. One thing lead to another, and Raven the Wild Horse was born, and so were two others about a super grasshopper. I was born in California but moved to Idaho when I was four. I have two older brothers and an older sister. I always have animals around me my whole life-some domestic and not so domestic: dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, rabbits, a deer, and a badger. Once I was grown, I still had animals-no deer and badger, but cow and horses. I was a foster parent for eighteen years. I would come to adopt two of my foster boys. I also adopted a baby girl. I was legal guardian to two of my nephews. My house is always full. I now live in the country in the state of Washington, and yes, I still have animals.
