Ms. Foard, who earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Communication Skills and a master’s degree in Education from the University of New Mexico, enjoys writing profiles and biographies. “Everyone has a story to tell,” she says, “and I’d like to write it—or teach others how to write it.” For young readers, she has written magazine profiles of famous Americans, including scientist Rachel Carson, architect Mary Jane Colter, and artist Georgia O’Keeffe. Her biography of Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, updated in 2010 to include his wife Frida Kahlo, targets teen readers. Her profiles of the not-yet famous include a Native American teen poet, a Ballet Folkloric dance instructor, a woman sports trainer, an interpreter for the deaf, a woman magician, and a drama professor, who

teaches children how to write and perform their own plays.

Ms Foard’s first love is writing. Teaching writing is a close second passion. As a high school teacher, she taught creative writing, journalism, and English while sponsoring the school’s award-winning literary magazine, yearbook, and newspaper. She has taught for the Institute of Children’s Literature for nearly 20 years. Her high school students, as well as her other ICL students of all ages have been published and won awards, too.

Researching and writing historical fiction is one of Ms. Foard’s main interests. She completed a middle grade novel, Harvey Girl, while enrolled in ICL’s Writing Children’s Books course. Published by Texas Tech University Press in 2006 and re- released in 2013 (with a new cover), Harvey Girl, which a TTUP editor dubbed “a perennial classic,” has been on several reading lists and won numerous awards, including the WILLA Literary Award Children’s/Young Adult category (from Women Writing the West) and first place in the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest, Category—YA Books.