Author: Joni Akins
Date of birth: April 1965
Website:
Joni has been illustrating since grade school, providing artwork for plays and year books during school, to play bills and make up designs for Portland Parks and Recreation in Portland Oregon, for her beloved Overlook Acting Company (Now Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center in north Portland.) She began writing childrens books in the mid 1990's while home schooling her step daughter Crystal.
Fun fact, Dean The Bean was written and illustrated originally in crayon. It sat for almost ten years bouncing from one grade school to another as the rest of Joni's children went to public school. As her youngest daughter Micki, who grew up pulling Dean the Bean out of the trash time and time again, was going off to Navy boot camp Micki one last time pulled Dean the Bean out of the trash and said, "Mom, GET this book PUBLISHED!" Who could argue with the normally quiet girl? The book was submitted and later the next year was published with a personal THANK YOU, to her children for their love and understanding.
"LovinQ2!" a term which started long before texting. ...JA
