After publishing my Santa book, I began looking for another celebratory family occasion that would make a good book topic. I settled on the tooth fairy and began to research. For a year, I asked people of all ages—from toddlers to grandparents—about the tooth fairy. Where does she live? What does she do with the teeth? Where does she get human money? Why do kids get different amounts of money? Why doesn’t she show up some nights? Interestingly, I didn’t get many answers, just shoulder shrugs and I don’t know " responses.

Instead of being disappointed, I was thrilled that a universal legend about the tooth fairy didn’t exist. It was wide open, just waiting for my creativity. The following year I studied that list of questions trying to find a way to bring all the answers together in a story. The hardest one was, where does she live? It had to be somewhere children couldn’t readily go, yet the tooth fairy could travel back and forth easily.

One evening at a friend’s house, as the sun was setting, I was standing at a picture window watching a group of white pelicans surfing the breeze coming off the waves of the South Platte River. It was a magical moment—just what I needed to get to fairyland. Now, my story could begin to take shape. (When you read the story's first page, you will see where the moment took me.)

With the story soon completed, I began the process of choosing an artist who could put my vision onto paper. For two years, I searched everywhere—art shows, fairs, galleries, online—until one day, I found the perfect artist. On a greeting card, I saw a fairy with leaf-like wings and a gown of flower petals. I knew instantly: this was the magic I needed. That artist was Reuben McHugh, from West Yorkshire, England, and he knows how to make my stories come to life in a way I had never imagined.

It was a year before the art was finished and another year to get the book printed and bound into a beautiful hardcover edition. I knew children from ages four to eight who lost teeth would treasure this book that sets memorable family traditions as children lose their teeth.

The book also includes a backstory about how I met the tooth fairy while hiking around a lake one evening. She flew me to fairyland by slipping through the breeze coming off the top of the waves, and there, she told me everything about fairyland and her important job so I could share it with you.

For six years, I worked to bring this enchanting little fairy named Mortina to life. I hope you enjoy sharing her story with your family—sparking imaginations, creating new traditions, and making magical memories that will last a lifetime.

Remember…from every gift, magic grows!