Ann Howard Creel was born on July 24, 1953. She grew up in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. Reading was always a big part of her life as a child. Her mother used to swear that Ann taught herself to read simply by following along as her first books were read aloud to her. By the age of ten she was writing daily in a diary, and by the age of twelve she had written a novel on an old manual typewriter that her father was going to throw away. When it came time to choose a career, Ann didn't initially consider writing. Instead she attended the University of Texas, received a degree in nursing, and became a Registered Nurse. After moving to California in 1985 she went back to school and earned a Master's degree. She loved her nursing career, but the urge to write never left her, so she began to write again at night after work when she moved to Colorado. She took two creative writing courses in Durango, Colorado and then wrote her first novel, Water at the Blue Earth. She still works as a school nurse in the Denver area and writes part-time. Being in the schools on a daily basis is rewarding as a nurse and also gives her story ideas for children's novels. Her titles include A Ceiling of Stars, Call Me the Canyon, and The Magic of the Ordinary Days.