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| Dawn Aldrich |
Dawn was born the youngest of three daughters to a
working class family in Lewiston, Maine, USA. When she was but a toddler, her
family moved to central Connecticut where she still resides with her husband,
Peter.
She first met Peter at his kitchen table while he was
downing a bowl of cereal when they were but twelve and ten, respectively. They
remained good friends through her sophomore year in college and fell in love
that summer. Unable to stand the distance between them during Peter’s college
freshman year, she transferred and they married after his junior year in August
1984. Together and with God’s help, they've raised two remarkable children,
Aaron and Torrie, who are both married and living close by with their young
families. They've graciously borne her four grandchildren with two more on the
way by the end of 2015.
When she’s not writing or chasing after her young
grandchildren or caring for her aging mother and mother-in-law, you’ll find Dawn digging in her flower beds,
mowing the lawn (yes, she enjoys even that), enjoying road trips with Peter or
sipping a tall mug of coffee on her back deck.
Professional
Dawn earned her Associate of Science degree in
broadcasting, Cum Laud, from Endicott College in 1981 and her Bachelor of Science
degree in Christian education from Houghton College in 1985.
Before children, Dawn and Peter were the co-directors of
youth ministry at Zion Covenant Church, Jamestown, NY. Shortly after their son
was born, they realized they wanted to build deep roots and foster generational
family ties, so they resigned and moved back to Connecticut.
Dawn found her calling as a nurturer in raising her
family and it was as a young mother that she fell in love with children’s
books. Not having been read to as a child, she enjoyed discovering all the
children’s classics alongside her children and now her grandchildren. While a
late-comer to books, Dawn always loved writing. She authored her first script
for her fifth grade Sunday school Christmas pageant and kept numerous diaries
throughout her youth. In college, she first realized she could evoke emotions
from her readers through the power of her words. It was then, Dawn wanted to
pursue writing as a vocation, but didn't know how.
After a debilitating head injury in 2007, Dawn retired
from her medical administrative position per advisement of her doctor. Healing
came through sleep, prayer and writing. During that year, Dawn’s first book, Auntie’s House, was born (Halo
Publishing International, 2009).
Becoming a children’s author has been quite unintentional
and each new story feels like a personal gift from God himself. When asked,
“Where do you get your book ideas?” she answers, “They find me.” Such was the
case with her next two publish stories, Gone
Fishing, (1st place award, 2013 CAPA Writing Contest), and Invisible Jenny May, (Halo Publishing
International, 2015).
Besides writing, Dawn developed and co-hosted the
award-wining children’s literary show, Penn’s Pal’s, for local television
station WPAA in 2013. Her episode, Through Sophie’s Eyes, based upon the book
by Cathy Gibson, won first place for Diversity Empowerment at the 15th
Annual Alliance for Community Media, 2013 New England Video Conference.
Future
God’s placed a great desire within Dawn to minister to
and write for daughters of divorce. The experiences of her own parents divorce
and then remarriage to one another, held great lessons in honoring her father
and forgiveness. It was through these lessons she’s experienced true spiritual
and emotional freedom that affects every relationship in her life and it’s her
desire to guide other daughters of divorce through these battles through the
freedom God offers through Jesus Christ.
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