Every story, tale, & tidbit found in the pages of A Year of Yarn is the (copyright protected) original work of a team of independent authors.

With some graphic art exceptions, all pictures, paintings, drawings, and photographs are original works too!

Every author & artist listed here has donated their original work to the benefit of A Year of Yarns and Our Mission.

Please support our authors & artists by visiting their websites & blogs.  Let them know how much you appreciate what they've given in the pursuit of literacy, reading, and our future generations.

Meet Our Authors & Artists...

Abigail Oveson

Abigail is the author of the Ma'Mick:When No One is Watching series for A Year of Yarns.  Hailing from northern Minnesota, Ms. Oveson is currently a college student in Wisconsin.  One would think school work would keep her pretty busy, but Ms. Oveson loves to write fictional stories about her very non-fictional kitty, McFly.

Oveson was inspired to write about the adventures of her beloved McFly when he would wait for nobody to be watching before slipping out of sight.  Given up for lost on more than one occasion (and for long periods of time), McFly is still going on "adventures" despite the lack of an ear, failing eyesight, and a pretty good limp.

You can read all about the fictional version of McFly in the Ma'Mick series.  You can also visit Abigail on her blog at  

Grandma Florence

Grandma Florence is the grandmother of A Year of Yarns founder, Sara Smith.  Sadly, Grandma has passed away, but her magnificent storytelling lives on!  She left behind a treasure trove of unique, original stories and poems for her future generations to enjoy.

Grandma Florence published her very first poem in the 1930's at the age of 13.  The poem was an eloquent, rhythmic one about President Lincoln.  Grandma was an avid writer who put her career on hold from the 1940's and into the 70's so she could raise her 8 kids on a farm in northern Minnesota.  In the later part of the 70's and 80's, Grandma Florence began writing again and had several fictional and non-fictional pieces published in a variety of magazines and newspapers.

Grandma Florence has been such an inspiration to her entire family, friends, and everyone who knew her.  Courtesy of the internet, she now has a permanent place for her writings to be found and enjoyed by all walks of life, from all corners of the world.

Randa Kay

Ms. Kay is the young, "indie" author of the Mint series for A Year of Yarns.  While Ms. Kay loves to write about many topics, her favorite is cats!

Life on a picturesque lake has inspired her to create a breathtaking backdrop for Mint and her other cat series, Shadow (published in July 2013 and available on her website).   

When she isn't writing books and reading, Randa loves to relax by the lake, kayak, practice archery, play the oboe, and learn as many new things as she can!

This new author loves to write and is excited to bring many new installments of Mint and Shadow to her growing number of fans.  Check her out on her website: GCBooks.Weebly.com.

Kris Maye

Kris Maye is one of the finest hobby-illustrators we know.  As a child, she would fill notebook after notebook with doodles and drawings.  

Her simplistic approach to book illustration is highly regarded.  She believes illustrations should not overpower the words of the tale being told.  That said, Ms. Maye is the artist responsible for giving Randa Kay's Mint his face.

When Ms. Maye is not doodling & drawing, she enjoys reading, playing the flute, listening to music, and taking care of her many animals.  

Joe Smith

Joe Smith is the tremendously talented husband of Sara Smith and the father of Ben and Aidan Smith.  He hails from a long line of extremely talented artists.  

His grandmother was a portrait artist and also specialized in extraordinarily detailed pen and ink drawings.  His mother is an all-around talented artist specializing in the Norwegian art of rosemaling.

Joe has been an incredible asset when it comes to bringing a little more detail and life to many of Sara's illustrations.  

When not working, Joe enjoys creating stuff with his hands such as snowshoes, toboggans, "upcycled" fur hats & gloves, and finely crafted furniture.  


Bennett & Aidan Smith

The inspiration behind The Amazing Adventures of Ace & Deuce, Bennett (9 years old) and Aidan (5 years old) are the sons of A Year of Yarns founder, Sara Smith, and her husband Joe.

Ben and Aidan are the two main reasons this website was created.  Ben and Aidan have contributed in many ways to A Year of Yarns, in the form of story ideas, artwork & illustrations, critiques, and support.

Both boys love to read and be read to.  They enjoy drawing and painting with their family amongst other "little boy" things.    

Their artwork is splashed throughout A Year of Yarns and is more predominantly showcased in Mrs. Bee's Famous Artists, Mrs. Bee's Baby Animals, and many of the backgrounds.  Be sure to check out the work of these talented two!


Sara Smith  

Sara is the founder of A Year of Yarns and the primary author & artist of the website.  A lifelong storyteller, Smith started A Year of Yarns to encourage reading, storytelling, and imagination in her two young sons, Ben & Aidan.

She has made it her quest to involve her immediate family in the process of building A Year of Yarns.  She will be the first one to tell you a website like this is not easy, but it is certainly worth the effort especially when you can involve the kids in the production of it.

Sara has made it her mission to keep A Year of Yarns always changing and improving.  She is constantly on the lookout for other "indie" writers who are looking to expand into the online world of children's storytelling.

To read more about Sara and why A Year of Yarns was started, please visit our About Us page.

If you are an indie author/artist with your own website or blog and would like to become a part of our growing family of indie authors & artists, please contact us.  We would love to talk to you about linking up!