She worked as a graphic artist with the Sea Grant program at UAF and then was hired by Kent Sturgis to work part-time at the Fairbanks Daily News Miner. He promoted her to features editor when she graduated from UAF with a degree in journalism. Brown also has a master of fine arts in writing from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Her writing: Brown has written three children’s books, “Children of the Midnight Sun,” “Groucho’s Eyebrows” and “The Itchy Little Musk Ox” (Alaska Northwest Books), illustrated by Debra Dubac and to be officially released on Mother’s Day at the Palmer Musk Ox Farm. She also has edited or written numerous nonfiction books, including “Lessons My Sled Dog Taught Me,” “Iditarod Country” and “Moose Views.” She describes herself as a lot of “formers”: former features writer and editor, former editor-in-chief for Alaska Magazine and former acquisitions editor for Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company, Portland, Ore.

Upcoming books include a book on Totem Bight State Park and the “Alaska Night Before Christmas,” for a series published by Pelican Publishing in Louisiana. She sent the manuscript for that book out cold.

“I felt like I was really bold and breaking out from an Alaska publisher and going to a national publisher,” she said.

That book wound up at the publisher in Gretna, La., right before Hurricane Katrina hit.

“Naturally, I was not in a hurry to find out, what did you think of my manuscript?”

She’s now working on an early chapter book for young readers, about frogs and a boy who was once a frog.

“I’ve never tried that (a chapter book) before, so I’m stretching myself there.”

Brown has been writing a series of Alaska history articles for LitSite Alaska (www. litsite.alaska.edu) to go with its digital archives.

“That’s my half-time staple that keeps my big toe in Alaska.”

One project she’s proud of is the First Languages program at Alaska Northwest Books, where children’s books were translated into Alaska Native and other languages, such as Terri Sloat’s “Berry Magic,” or “Atsat Irr’ Inaroellriit.”

— Compiled by Michael Armstrong, staff writer.