I was born in Kuopio, Finland and came to Canada as a child with my parents and sister in 1951. Our family landed at the now-famous Pier 21 in Halifax and headed for Winnipeg. We then moved around, as immigrants often do, from cities to towns to villages and back again. We even returned briefly to Finland, but decided that Canada was the place for us.

I married and settled in the Toronto region to raise a family. Thanks to their grandmother's constant "reminders", my two daughters also speak Finnish.

With my teaching career behind me, I now live out in the country north of Toronto with my husband. We have four grandchildren and I spend my time writing, babysitting, gardening, painting, walking and reading - not necessarily in that order of importance.

I belong to Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP), and am listed as an author as well as an illustrator. I also belong to Finnish North American Translators Association (FATA), as well as the Romance Writers of America and its local chapter - Toronto Romance Writers.