Lois Thompson Bartholomew was born and raised in Central Utah and loves the mountains. For many years she participated in the annual hike up to the top of Mount Timpanogos, which at 11,750 feet, is the second highest mountain in the state.

When Lois grew up she found that becoming a published writer is somewhat like climbing a mountain. To get to the top you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other until you finally reach the summit. You should enjoy the waterfalls, wildflowers and the lakes you find on the way, but if you stop there and forget your goal, you'll never see the magnificent view that can only be seen from the very top of the mountain.

For seven years Lois wrote a weekly newspaper column. While working as a full-time mom of ten children (don't ever ask a mother if she works—all mothers are working mothers!) she managed to also write many articles for both adult and children's magazines. Her first novel, The White Dove, was published in 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

"Any success I have, I owe to the support and encouragement of my parents, my husband, and my wonderful children as well as some outstanding teachers."
Lois loves to teach and talk about writing, about goal setting, and about reading, to both children and their parents. And she still loves to climb mountains.