Hi!  I'm Thea Whitehead!  

Born and raised in the United States, mostly in Utah and a few years in California, learning wisdom and values came from parents, grandparents and church leaders as well as teachers and school administrators.

Like most people I had experiences that I loved, and some that would affect my future.

While working on a degree in Early Childhood Development at Brigham Young University, I jumped on the "double major" track and also earned a K-8 teaching certificate.  The opportunity to teach in Australia appeared as I was finishing up my last courses, and I jumped on the chance to "see the world" at someone else's expense!

Teaching overseas is a wonderful way to find out how children are the same all over the world.

I met wonderful people, including both my current husband, Owen, and my husband of 44 years, Ian.  After Ian passed away, Owen and I again reunited and are now married.

My life with my first husband took me back to the United States (although he was Australian) where we raised our children.  Both of my children are now married with families of their own.

Returning to Australia to be with my current husband, Owen, was the result of a strong feeling that I should be with him and move back to Australia, even though my own children and their families would remain in the USA.  I credit that feeling to my Heavenly Father, and Owen and I both say that our mothers had a hand in that!

During my many years of life, I have not only taught children, but also adults through my church,  developmentally disabled adults through a job running group homes in both Idaho and Washington state, and my own children, grandchildren, and great grand children.

I had the opportunity to work outside the teaching field for about 20 years where I was able to learn graphic design in order to fulfill one of my many roles within that company.

I enrolled in the Institute of Children's Literature back in the early 2000's where I earned a college level achievement certificates.  I had three stories accepted by three different publications, and had planned a picture book when my computer "ate" and destroyed my "floppy disk", which, at the time, was the only thing that stored my data.

25 years later, with much of that book still floating around in my head, I chose to use my retirement to restart as an Author, and, through the help of a wonderful Illustrator, produced "I Want Cider".  

Now the stories are flowing faster than I can keep up with them, and I'm so excited to become part of the lives of children around the world.