Penny Walker Veraar was born in Memphis, lived in: Wisconsin where she obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology; Dallas, where she worked as a medical social worker; and Cincinnati where she now resides with her husband. She started her novel Owl in the Oak Tree before social media was a thing. Writers wrote and left promotion to others. That was after she began working in a treatment program for chemically dependent adolescents, which definitely was a thing, even back then. She wanted to showcase that unique program but as she gained life experience her interest expanded to family life with a disabled child. She patterned her novel as Women’s Fiction but professional reviewers most often labeled it a thriller. No matter, she primarily wants to write pieces people will enjoy.