Kit Dunsmore grew up wishing she could live in a castle, own a fire-lizard, or at least get snowed in at the library. The woods in Maryland were short on flying horses but that didn’t stop her from looking. She found them in books, her magic door to other worlds as well as this one. After years of indecision (chemistry or physics? knitting or sewing? dragons or dinosaurs? Shakespeare or Tolkien? Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?), Kit finally embraced her true nature. As a Renaissance woman, she is curious about everything and hates to choose just one thing. Writing lets her explore whatever she pleases.

A National Novel Writing Month participant for more than a decade, Kit writes about the things she loves: misunderstood witches, amusing dragons, brave children, tame wolves, and princesses who rescue themselves. As a child, she saw a puppet show of Rapunzel that she has never forgotten. The odd details in the story are so intriguing that Kit is writing a novel about Rapunzel in order to make sense of them all. She also knits sweaters for dinosaurs, makes art quilts of birds, and sketches the natural world. Her newest love is spinning yarn. She really needs a time-turner so she can complete all her projects.

Since she is more hobbit than human, Kit finds real-life adventures challenging in embarrassing ways. Her seasickness has taught her the meaning of “near-death experience” and her fear of heights makes some paths impossible to walk. Like Bilbo, she is still determined to see distant mountains despite the discomforts that come with leaving home. When she does suit up for a journey, Kit makes sure her armor covers her chest, her hair can’t get in her eyes, and her boots don’t have high heels.

Kit lives between the prairie and the foothills in Colorado, where she goes bird-watching with her husband, builds Lego sets with her young nephew, and shares a house with her sister’s family. Of all the roles she plays, Kit’s most important work is as a pillow for her miniature poodle Dory.