I grew up the daughter of a Methodist minister in central Illinois. My two most hated nicknames were “Jonesey” and “preacher’s kid.” I took care of that by getting married. If Bruce Gowen’s last name had been Jones, he wouldn’t have stood a chance. But now I’m proud to be a Jones girl.

Bruce and I have lived in Illinois, California, Washington and now Utah. We have ten children, eight boys and two girls. Later in life I went back to complete my degree in English and American literature from Brigham Young University. In my last year, I took a folklore class that inspired me to record the memories of my then-90-year old mother about her experiences growing up on a 1920′s Nebraska farm. This led to the publication of Farm Girl.

I love to read and I believe in the power of books to change lives, for they have changed mine. After raising my very large family, it’s a joy and privilege to have time to write books.