Mary Kathryn Lay 

Kathryn Lay likes to express the oddities of everyday life through her books. Her goal is to give readers a lot of enjoyment with a little bit of knowledge. Her hobby of looking for the unusual began with the strange items she noticed at flea markets, but her inspiration for Josh's Halloween Pumpkin came from a visit to her state fair. On her yearly excursion with family and friends to the Texas State Fair, an exhibit including giant pumpkins caught Lay's attention. It was an opportunity to combine her love of fall with her fascination of natural eccentricities. 

Lay is a passionate, precocious, and prolific author. 

She began writing in the third grade and has published more than fourteen hundred articles, essays, and stories for children and adults. The diverse topics she enjoys range from religion to children's books, from essays to fantasy fiction, from parenting to marriage, and from humor to how-to's. Lay has won over one hundred writing contests for unpublished work. She is the recipient of the 2004 award for Best Juvenile Book from the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, Inc. and the 2005 Golden Spur Award for Crown Me!, a humorous middle-reader novel. 

Lay graduated from Tarrant County Junior College. After having worked ten years as a secretary for several companies, she decided to devote herself to her life's passion—writing. In addition to being an award-winning author, she teaches online writing classes at www.coffeehouseforwriters.com and speaks at schools, libraries, and writers' conferences. In her spare time, she runs a volunteer English as a Second Language school with her husband.

Lay is a member of the Texas Reading Association, participates in the Texas Book Festival, and is the Texas Regional Advisor of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. A lifelong Texan, Lay resides in Arlington.