I grew up in the foothills of the Western Maine Mountains. My mother worked at University of Maine, Farmington as a Student Support Services Advisor, and my father still works as a carpenter. They both still live in Farmington, growing food, caring for a rescue horse and tending the land on the edge of a forest filled with cedars, beech, and coniferous trees. My mother gave me the gift of loving words, and my father gave me the gift of loving a place. They both gave me the gift of never ending support and encouragement. I have a brother who shares my active imagination and love of stories. I went to College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, where I learned that I needed to live by the sea. I never returned to live in the foothills, and sometimes I feel a longing for it, and I hope there is a story in there somewhere!

After graduating from COA, I began teaching right away, first on MDI (first grade), then in Cape Elizabeth, (preK/K), then on Long Island (K-5, 2 room schoolhouse, where I taught all subject areas, plus Music and Art). I found my latest job in Cape Elizabeth when it became clear that our island's population was shrinking so much that the school would only need one teacher. I have three children. Isla recently graduated from Portland High School, and will attend John Jay College in the fall to study Forensic Psychology, and is passionate advocate for equality and justice. Silas will be a sophomore at Portland High School and is the hardest working, funniest teenager I know. Seamus will be in 6th grade and is charming, gregarious, personable, and lives to be with his friends, who range in age from 2-80. I am married to Jonathan, a lobsterman, who is also a talented musician and artist. I play the violin and guitar, and can squeak by on the ukelele, mandolin, and banjo. I live year round on Long Island, population about 230.

Visit Katie online.

Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Books by Katie Norton