Lone Star Legacy: The Texas Rangers Then and Now (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781455621040)

Perhaps because she is a direct descendant of the real Phoebe Clappsaddle, Melanie Chrismer views writing as "an adventure." She is a fifth-generation Houstonian and has also lived in Tennessee, Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio, and Georgia.

Just as "reading and writing go together like ice cream and chocolate sauce," according to Chrismer, writing captured her interest in the third grade when she wrote her first story. She continued writing throughout her high-school years, and then she married her high-school sweetheart and raised two children.

In 1991, Chrismer resumed her writing career as a newspaper stringer, library aid, and bookstore manager, while her work appeared in periodicals and children's curricula. With the publication of Phoebe Clappsaddle and the Tumbleweed Gang, Chrismer achieved published-author status. In Phoebe Clappsaddle for Sheriff, Phoebe once again proves that combining Southern manners with no-nonsense Western spirit exacts justice while maintaining dignity and composure.

In addition to her writing career, Melanie Chrismer frequently speaks at schools and libraries, where she presents hints for developing writing strategies and techniques. She also discusses the history of her native state and gives demonstrations with her practice bull, Medium-Rare. She is also an active member of the Houston chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Women Writing the West, the Texas Coalition of Authors, and the International Reading Association. Chrismer lives in the Clear Lake area near Houston, where she continues to write.