Dave Bettinger

Dave Bettinger was born in Washington, DC. He traveled with his family to Asia at age six, and later added Europe, South America, and Australia to his list of continents. He began writing songs at the age of twelve, and poetry at sixteen. He has had numerous technical articles published in trade journals as an adult, but the Crystal and Breanna series is his first foray into fiction. Still raising two girls of his own, and coaching other ‘tween’ and teen girls in soccer has taught him much about the humor and unpredictability found in that social group; much more, he says, than he ever wanted to know.

Barbara Mowry first came into the life of her stepdad at the tender age of eighteen months. Soon after turning eight, she asked him one night to make up a bedtime story, and to base it around two girls named Crystal and Breanna – the names she had given her new American Girl® dolls. The Secret of Blackridge Farm ensued, and after a few nights of storytelling, the two authors decided to turn their story into a book. While Dad did the actual writing, Barbara provided nearly all the characters and their traits, and many of the situations in which the characters would find themselves. Barbara is an avid reader and horseback rider, and continues to develop her own writing skills at school and at home.