Master storyteller Margot Early has known from a very young age that she was born into her vocation. Storytelling has been part of her life since she was a child—whether plotting Nancy Drew cases in the basement of Palo Alto, California’s historic Squire House, pretending to live in trees (while climbing them) or tapping the keys of an ancient manual typewriter, writing stories to share with friends. One of her most vivid and joyful childhood memories is when she realized she could read and interrupted a bridge party to display her knowledge. A writer from the age of nine or ten, she has always had an audience—her friends, sisters and parents listening to what she wrote. A friend and fellow journalist once told her that she was a circle—perfect. The very full circle of Margot Early’s life has included some tough times, which she knows have made her a better and more insightful writer. Early, who owns neither a car nor a television, believes her greatest wealth is her friends—and she’s glad to count many relatives among them. Living in a town of four hundred, high in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, she enjoys the outdoors, dancing, spinning dog hair and spending time with her pets, which include German shepherds, snakes and tarantulas.