Gail Karwoski

Karwoski was born in Boston, Massachusetts on March 16, 1949. As a little girl she developed a vivid imagination and could play by herself with her paper dolls for hours. Her other favorite past time was reading. After her father finished working in his store, he would make up stories and tell them at bedtime. His creativity probably influenced Karwoski who went on to major in English at the University of Massachusetts and then earned her teaching certificate from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Not only could she earn money from teaching, but she could spend time surrounded by books and help children love learning.

With another teacher, Karwoski co-authored her first book The Tree That Owns Itself and Other Adventure Tales from Georgia's Past. This book not only covers the whole state of Georgia through historical fictional stories, it brings to life events that shaped Georgia's history and that of the entire United States. During the writing of her next book Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark, Karwoski stopped teaching after spending thirteen years in schools. She devoted her time to finishing her book and becoming a full-time writer. Along with her fictional history, Karwoski has written a picture book Water Beds; Sleeping in the Ocean and has worked as both a newspaper reporter and an editor. Now she travels to schools to talk about her books and continues writing.