About & Contact

About the Author

Hi, I’m Mallory!

I was born and raised on the farm fields of Marana, Arizona, where I quickly learned the meaning of hard work, perseverance, and grit. As a child, I balanced playing basketball with showing cattle in 4-H, experiences that taught me teamwork, responsibility, and determination.

Basketball carried me into college as both a player and later a coach, but my career path first led me into the world of numbers as an actuary. While the work was challenging, I soon realized my true calling was teaching. I transitioned into education and spent years as a math educator, where I was honored to receive the National Teaching Excellence Award. Inspiring students became one of the greatest joys of my life.

However, tucked away in my heart was a lifelong dream—to become an author. My love of reading was nurtured early on by my mother and teachers, who filled my childhood with stories and books that shaped me. Later, as I watched my nieces, nephews, and especially my young son navigate challenges and conflicts of their own, I found my “why” for writing: to create stories that help children face struggles with courage, confidence, and joy.

My debut book, Tony Tractor Gets Glasses, was inspired by my nephew’s brave journey with strabismus and his adventure in getting glasses. Through Tony Tractor and his friends, my goal is to help instill a love of reading in children everywhere, while showing them that even tough moments can lead to new strengths and bright beginnings.

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Q&A

Most frequent questions

General questions 🚜✨

Why did you start writing children’s books?
A lifelong goal of mine was to become an author. I didn’t know what book I was going to write and I turned to writing as a creative outlet during a difficult season of my life. Reading stories to my young son became a source of comfort and joy. He loves tractors and construction trucks, combined with the challenges my nieces and nephews faced, helped me find my purpose and “my why” in writing books that help kids feel seen, supported, and inspired. My goal is to instill the love of reading to children everywhere!
This story was inspired by my amazing nephew’s journey with strabismus and his brave adventure in eye surgery and getting glasses. Watching him adapt and grow in confidence made me want to create a character kids could relate to when they’re facing change.
As a former educator, I always loved making learning fun. That passion naturally carried into my writing. I weave in rhyme, rhythm, fun characters, and lessons that spark curiosity and confidence, while still keeping the stories playful and engaging.
Most of my books are written for preschool to early elementary readers (ages 3–8). But honestly, I think older kids — and even adults — can enjoy the messages and rhymes too!


Yes! Tony Tractor Gets Glasses is just the beginning. Tony Tractor and His Friends — like Sally Snow Plow, Freddy Firetruck, and more — will each have their own adventures that touch on themes of confidence, kindness, perseverance, and friendship.

I design my books with families and classrooms in mind. They’re great read-alouds, and many include subtle lessons about resilience, teamwork, and self-acceptance. I also create free coloring pages to extend the learning (you can grab them in my Free Resources section.

Judy Ladybug is a special “easter egg” hidden on every page of my books for kids to find. She’s named after my grandmother, Judy. Every time I see a ladybug, I think of her and the love she brought into my life. Including Judy Ladybug in my stories is my way of keeping her close, while giving kids a fun little friend to spot as they read. It’s like a game of hide-and-seek that makes each reading extra magical!

I hope kids feel encouraged to be themselves, to embrace differences, and to see that challenges can lead to growth. More than anything, I want reading to feel fun and magical — something they look forward to every day.

Oh, that’s a tough one! Tony Tractor will always hold a special place in my heart since he started it all, but each character has a little piece of my family or my teaching journey in them.

It’s definitely a team effort! Writing the rhyming story is just the first step. Then comes editing, illustration, design, and publishing — which can take months (in my case, over two years). Seeing it all come together and holding the final book makes the wait so worth it.

Yes! I write the stories and then collaborate closely with an illustrator to bring the characters and scenes to life. It’s one of my favorite parts — watching words transform into vibrant pictures that kids can connect with.

I’d tell them: what makes you different also makes you special. Everyone has something unique about them, and the world is brighter because of it. Just like Tony discovered, sometimes the thing you worry about most becomes your greatest strength.

Questions Just for Kids! 🚜✨
Do tractors sleep at night?
Yes! After a long day of working hard, tractors like Tony park in the barn, rest their wheels, and dream about new adventures.

Tony loves crunchy carrots and juicy apples straight from the farm. (And maybe a little hay for dessert!)

He sure can! Glasses help Tony see the world clearly — the apples on the trees, his friends waving, and even the stars at night.

Yes! Tony has lots of friends like Sally Snow Plow, Freddy Firetruck, Candy Cement Truck, and Billy Bulldozer. They all help each other out on their adventures.

Blue, of course! But he also loves green fields and bright red apples.

Absolutely! Tony loves playing “I Spy” on the farm, especially when it’s an ABC game. He also enjoys racing his friends (though Sally isn’t very fast in the snow).

Not yet — tractors are big and heavy machines, so kids have to wait until they’re grown up. But you can play with toy tractors, read tractor books, and ride along on a hay wagon!

Helping his friends, working hard on the farm, and knowing he’s brave enough to try new things — even if they feel a little scary at first.

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