An artist turned author, Sarah Wathen is a storyteller by trade and a painter at heart She was trained in Classical Painting at the University of Central Florida, then completed graduate studies in Fine Art at Parson s School of Design in New York City Her first step into the world of independent publishing was as an illustrator, and Sarah quickly realized she wanted to write her own books rather than illustrate other s That reinvention came as no surprise to family and friends, who remember her as a child always ready to turn a tale Hours spent under the backyard stairs with her sister dreaming up imaginary friends with outlandish names like Afisha and Pekins, and designing social networks called the Plant Club and the Tutu Group were recorded and illustrated, too Copies still exist under lock and key Sarah currently resides in Florida and runs the indie label, LayerCake Productions.