Randi McKinnon came to the country from Norway in 1959 and settled in Oregon. After working in the Food and Hospitality Service for 40 some old years, she retired. Thinking retirement was boring, she needed something new to hold her interest. She decided to take a correspondence course in writing children's books through the Institute of Children's Literature. Most of her stories are fiction as she embellishes stories told to her as a child. She had no playmates and made up her games. Trolls, fairies, and the like were believed to be real, according to their grandparents. So, remembering these, she has a lot to write about.