STEPHANIE HOLMES is the mother of five children. She also had an American Eskimo Dog named Grady for fourteen years. Stephanie has worked as a veterinary technician, substitute teacher, traveled overseas as a diplomat, and most proudly served as a foster parent in West Virginia for six years. She continues to mentor new foster parents today. Stephanie enjoys writing and storytelling as a hobby. She started creating the Grady stories when she noticed similarities between her dog's nervousness in new situations and her firstborn son's shyness at playdates. Since then, Grady-both the actual dog and the fictional character-has helped her children come through many tricky situations.