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I was born in California on a Wednesday in
the month of May. There's an old saying,
"Wednesday's child is full of woe." We
children born on a Wednesday know how
important it is to have sunshine, freedom
and a little flower.
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| Mary, 6 months old |
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| Illustration by Mary, age 10 |
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| Illustration by Mary, age 12 |
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I grew up in the country.
When I was a little kid, these were my favorite things
to do:
- play outside (especially in the summer when you
can play until the stars come out)
- figure out how to make money
- dream about having my own horse
- figure out how to make money (to buy a horse)
- draw (horses)
- read books like Wind in the Willows and anything
by Marguerite Henry
- be with animals.
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When I was in first grade, my teacher Sr. Mildred
would give us each a piece of paper with a magazine
picture pasted in the corner. We could write anything
we wanted about the picture. That's when I first
wanted to be a writer. In second grade I decided to
write a novel. I wrote and drew lots of pictures. But I
can't remember if I ever finished it.
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| Mary, 1st Grade |
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Ten was a big year. A boy named Jimmy fell in
love with me. But, most important, he gave me
my first cat, a silver tabby named Junior. I didn't
love Jimmy for very long, but I loved Junior with
all my heart. That was the summer my mom and
dad and my grandparents went to Europe for a
month. My sisters and I stayed with Aunt Edie. I
took care of my grandparent's small farm, I milked
two cows and sold the milk. I took care of the chick-
ens and sold the eggs. That's how I earned money
to buy my first horse, Sonora.
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When my mom returned, she decided I should take
ballet lessons. I didn't agree. It wasn't in my plans.
She won. I took ballet lessons three times a week for
many years and took classes at the San Francisco
Ballet Company. Now, I always thank her because
it makes me happy to be able to dance so beautifully. |
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| Illustration by Mary, age 11 |
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| My sweetie, Han |
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Let's skip high school and go straight to college,
okay? I have a degree in music and minors in art
and English literature, which means I practiced
the piano in a tiny room for hours, went to art
classes, and read lots of books. When I was in
college I went on a blind date with Harry Arthur
Nethery III (everyone calls him Han.) We fell in
love and got married. Han's my sunshine and
my freedom.
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After college, Han and I lived in Europe. When we
came home, I became a teacher. I got my Masters
degree right before my son was born. His name is
H.A. (Harry Arthur Nethery IV.) He is studying for
his doctoral degree in Philosophy. He also loves
music, has a big vinyl collection, and plays bass
guitar. H.A. makes me laugh (more sunshine.) He
astonishes me with how smart he is. He makes me
proud to be his mom because he's such a good
person.
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| My son H.A. |
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| H.A. in Paris |
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| My son and I |
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Reading lots of books to H.A. when he was little
made me want to write again. I realized writing
was something I was supposed to be doing. But
my path had taken me far from it. I decided to be
the best writer I could possibly be. Doing that is
like a butterfly finding the right flower to sit on. |
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I don't teach anymore. Now I write everyday and my
cat Asta, a Bengal, sits on his pillow in my studio and
helps me. He comes up with some crazy ideas.
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| Asta on his writing pillow |
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| Asta and his friend |
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| Asta at Grandma's house |
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| Team Nethery |
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| Han and H.A. in Paris |
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These are my favorite things to do as an
adult:
- be with Han and H.A.
- play with my friends
- listen to Asta purr
- read books
- read fashion magazines
- watch movies
- eat cookies in bed
- travel
- be with animals
- laugh a lot
- write books you don't want to stop
reading.
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But after you're done reading a book I've written,
I'd be super happy if you couldn't help but keep
thinking about it for awhile. |
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"I am constantly roving about to see what I have never seen before and
shall never see again."
-Thomas Jefferson to the Marquis de Lafayette, while traveling in
southern France, 1787 |
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