Janet’s love affair with history began with stories of her pioneer ancestors. Her first published book, A Place of Her Own: The Legacy of Oregon Pioneer Martha Poindexter Maupin, portrays the story of her remarkable great-great-grandmother who came west over the Oregon Trail. A native Oregonian, Janet grew up on the farm Martha bought more than 150 years ago. Janet is now the second woman to own and operate this family treasure.

Janet’s passion for history and travel led her into a new venture after she visited two islands known for their strong women in the ancient past–Ireland and the Greek Isle of Crete–two of the last holdouts of peace and freedom in that ancient warring world. She draws these islands together in upcoming stories, as the legendary Cretan mariners sail to the ends of the Mediterranean and beyond, seeking a place the warriors have not come, where the light of peace still shines.

As additional stories develop in the continuing saga, the people of Ireland and Crete visit other spots along the way, and Janet follows, visiting sites in Iberia, like the Castro do Zambujal, and in Great Britain, like Stonehenge.

Janet has lived and worked in San Francisco, Kalispell, Montana, and other places, including several cities in Oregon, showing a trace of the Maupin wanderlust. She earned a master’s in journalism with honors from the University of Oregon and has taught college writing.

Photos below show Janet enjoying the legacy of the family farm in her early years, giving a curtsy in her overalls at about age five, riding her favorite mare, Fleet, at about fifteen. Horses play a strong role in many of her stories.