Mary Stern

I grew up in a small town in Kansas, and when I was a young girl, my mom read to me every night, which instilled in me a love of books and reading. During my ninth summer, my goal was to read all the young adult books in my hometown library. It was a small library. By the end of the summer, I was on a first-name basis with the librarian—if you consider Mrs. Smith a first name. And, yes, I did win the gold star for the most books read that summer.

I am also an adventure junkie. As a child, I explored the universe outside of my small hometown through books. The world of Little House on the Prairie was already familiar to me as an adult, however, I traveled across the globe to experience some of the adventures that I had read about as a girl. I ran along part of the Great Wall in China, climbed Kilimanjaro in Africa, went scuba diving off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and rafted the white waters of Costa Rica. I believed that if you could read about it you could do it. The phrase “You’re not in Kansas anymore” was true for me.

My first foray as a writer was a series of children’s illustrated books, The Cowboy Dog Series. Each book stars one of my grandsons. I wanted to capture their personalities at age five and share the joy of spending time out of doors exploring their worlds.

I spent my business career in human resources and most of it with Baxter Healthcare. I had the opportunity to work with smart, ethical professionals, and many friends and colleagues from my Baxter days have contributed to the book, 6 Steps To Land the Job – Essentials of Job Search Success. Their willingness to help is an example of long-term relationships and networking.

The job search process is an area where I have a depth of knowledge and experience, and I truly hope this book can help people in their quest for their next position. Remember, the statement “if you can read about it, you can do it” applies to job search, too.

I have always loved mysteries starting with Nancy Drew. The Marble Girl mysteries have two sixty year old protagonists. They are intelligent, intuitive and resourceful. They apply those skills to solve the mystery with a little help from law enforcement. Cuppa JO takes place in Santa Barbara, Ca before the devastating Thomas Fire and Montecito Mudslide. The book is dedicated to the fire fighters and first responders who saved our community. All proceeds from sales of Cuppa JO will be donated to Transition House, a shelter for homeless families in Santa Barbara.