About Dawn Lesley Stewart

Twisting Star - Quilt Block

About Dawn --
The Author

Harriet's Horrible Hair Day

Life is like
a sandbox full
of toys.
Dig deep and enjoy.

Dawn lived her first nine years in New Jersey and moved to Massachusetts when her father received a job transfer. When a grade-school teacher assigned a book report, Dawn read Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars by Ellen MacGregor and discovered the joy of visiting other worlds through books.

In high school, Dawn co-edited and wrote for the school magazine and began writing short stories for children. She then experimented with other genres of writing, including mystery, science fiction and fantasy.

Other pathways led her to write cable television scripts and edit a literary journal. She also developed and moderated a writing forum online, which encouraged people of all ages to have fun playing with words.

Her writing turned full circle when she again started writing for children.

Harriet's Horrible Hair Day is her first published picture book for children.

Dawn's short stories and poems have won writing contests and have appeared online and in print.

Interests

computers
reading
cats

wiggling toes
in
beach sand

puzzles
sci-fi
quilting

helium
balloons

blowing
bubbles
in the
wind

Sparkle

Sparkle
Dawn adopted her cat, Sparkle, from the Humane Society. Most cats when brought into a new house will cautiously pad about their new territory, checking out every space from under the beds to inside the closets. Sparkle zoomed through the living room, into the kitchen, and plopped her nose into a food dish. She must have felt right at home! When not eating, Sparkle enjoys being held and playing with toy mice.

Oscar
Our Maine Coon cat, Oscar, adopted us! One of the neighbors invited a friend to live with them as a long-staying house guest, and the friend brought her dog (big dog). Oscar hates dogs and refused to go near his home. Instead, he parked himself on our porch, perched himself on the railing in front of our kitchen window, and followed us whenever we were outside. We fell in love. But we couldn't take Oscar away from his true home . . . not without asking. And who would want to give away such a beautiful, friendly, well-mannered cat? But I loved Oscar, and he obviously cared for us. So I told the neighbor that I would adopt Oscar if for any reason they didn't want him. The neighbor heaved a sigh of relief . . . they were moving! They didn't want to take their cat. Oscar now lives in our house, and he and Sparkle are good friends. Like a herd of charging rhinoceros, they run through the house playing tag, then flop into a furry heap for a nap.