Kateri Courtney has been writing for many years. Storytelling always came naturally to Kateri, the sixth of twelve children. She invented stories for her siblings and her own children.

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1967, Kateri makes her home in both Colorado and Nevada. Writing has always been a passion for her since she was a little girl amd she has tremendous respect for the craft. Kateri has worked in the service industry for twenty-one years, and has had a variety of experiences including at one time owning a bakery and a cookie store. She has also worked in lighting and design for both commercial and residential clients in the Denver area. Her hobbies and interests include writing, reading, going to plays, working out, and spending time with her family.

Kateri believes that literacy statistics are frightening and should be of concern to everyone. There are more than 40 million adults in the U.S. that are illiterate or dysfunctional readers. Here in the U.S., 37 percent of American fourth graders—and 70 percent of fourth-graders in the inner city—lack even basic reading skills. How can we turn this discouraging trend around?

"I can't tell you how important it is for parents to read to their children," Kateri says. "Parents need to turn off the TV and read to their kids."

Her book, Welby and the Knobby King, is the first in a planned series of Patchquilt Novels. Readers are sure to love the lively characters who inhabit Courtney's mystical world of fantasy and whimsy. Adults will find the allegorical references in the book, while children will enjoy it purely for its storyline and characters.

Click here to purchase Welby and the Knobby King.