Florence D. Blanding, Phoenix, AZ
Florence is the writer and illustrator of four children's books. She has always been surrounded by artistic people. Her husband is a painter and a sculptor, her son a musician, and her daughter an author. Florence was known for using the left side of her brain. She loved solving puzzles, was good at math, enjoyed bookkeeping, and wrote computer software. At age 72, she wondered if she even had a right side, so she decided to find out. She announced to her family that she was going to write and illustrate a children's picture book. She chose this format and the children's story genre so she could draw ideas from her own life as a mother and grandmother. Five months later, Florence self-published her first book “Grandma Visits the Bumblebee Twins.” At age 75 she has just published her fourth book and is already planning her next one. She is thrilled to have discovered the right side of her brain and intends to keep using it.