Donna Bowman Bratton

So, Who am I?

Today

A glorious thing happened when my first son was born. I fell in love. Not only with my little bundle of wonderfulness, but with children's books. Eventually, I bid farewell to the corporate world and dove head first into the tidle wave of chidren's literature.

Like any good student, I joined heaps of writing classes, workshops, and conferences dedicated to the craft. And I wrote. And wrote. And wrote. For years. Fortunately, I've published a bit, too. But, the best is yet to come.

Since that giant leap of faith, I have written for newspapers, magazines, anthologies, and community theater. But, I always come back to writing for young readers.

I'm an active member of the Austin chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators (Austin SCBWI) where I have, at various times, served as Special Projects Coordinator, Critique Group Coordinator, and general volunteer.

Check out the About Me Page for some random trivia about me.

My Childhood

I've played with words since I was a little girl. My parents fueled my love of writing with an electric typewriter when I was about ten years old. I wore it out. Even the sticky 'N'. 

My young imagination was nurtured on our family's Quarter horse ranch in central Texas. At the time, I didn't appreciate my good fortune. I was surrounded by animals including cattle, dogs, cats, guinea hens, ducks, goats, even a pet skunk named Stinkie. Not surprisingly,  my best friends were horses.

While my human friends were riding bikes with neighborhood kids, I was riding horses and training for upcoming horse shows. While my friends were doing chores like taking out the trash, I was cleaning stalls, feeding animals, and otherwise helping around the ranch. While my friends primped and preened, I gussied up for countless show rings.

At home, I often tucked a notebook and pencil into the waist band of my jeans and loped my horse to a favorite oak tree at the far corner of our ranch. The outstretched limb was the perfect retreat for my active imagination. There I poured my deepest thoughts,  stories, and poems onto paper.

My favorite childhood fiction books involved animals (go figure) like Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, National Velvet, Flicka, and Black Beauty.  For some reason, my reading choices always left me crying in the end. Even today, I'm drawn to books with great emotion.

I always knew I wanted to be a writer. Then again, as a child, I also wanted to be a veterinarian, an actress, and a princess. In my stories, I can be anything I want.