The Oracle of Cilens

Kathryn Sullivan couldn't find enough stories with girls as the main characters when she was growing up, so now she writes stories where girls are the explorers, the wizards and the ones who solve problems and rescue people.  Any place and any object is at risk of appearing in her stories – the river bluffs surrounding Winona, MN, where she lives, can become the windswept cliffs of an alien planet or the deep mysterious woods of a fantasy tale. She is owned by a large cockatoo, who graciously allows her to write about other animals, as well as birdlike aliens.