Mary (right) and her mother, Margaret Cronk, and sister, Theresa, on the farm where they lived in South Dakota (1961) Mary (front) riding her Shetland pony, Princess with her sister, Theresa, on the South Dakota farm. Also pictured is her father, Harold Cronk. (1962) (Lynden Tribune Photo) Mary runs the mile for Mount Baker High School in the Whatcom County League Meet. (1976) Mary captained the State Championship MBHS Girls' Cross Country Team in 1977. Mary and the love of her life, Mike Farrell, on their wedding day. (1985) Mary at the KXLY-TV anchor desk in Spokane, WA. (1989)

I have loved stories for as long as I can remember. I'm so grateful my parents read to me and had lots of books in our house.  By the time I started school my family had moved from the mid-west to Washington State. My love of writing began almost as soon as I learned to read.

I grew up on a farm with eleven sisters and brothers. There was a lot of work to do, like weeding the garden, cleaning the barn, feeding the chickens and washing lots and lots of dishes. But we had time to play in the fields and forest, and we spent a lot of time reading as we did not have a TV. Because I loved books so much, I wanted to grow up to be a writer. With lots of hard work, help from others and a little luck, my dream has come true.

I still run today, but much slower!  I also enjoy cycling, cross country skiing, yoga and raising organic vegetables. But my most favorite things of all are reading good books and eating chocolate!

I work as a journalist and author while raising my three children aged 13-to-20. My articles have been published in newspapers and magazines like Pockets, Wild Outdoor World, The Spokesman-Review, The Lutheran and Catholic Parent. I write a regular newspaper column on family spirituality called Everyday Grace which has run for six years in The Inland Register of the Diocese of Spokane, Washington. It has also been published in Deleware's The Dialog, The Seattle Northwest Progress, The Pittsburgh Catholic, and The Idaho Catholic Register.

My writing career began at KSPO News/Talk Radio in Spokane where I worked while earning a BA in Communications and Political Science from Gonzaga University. After graduation I was one of just ten broadcasting students nationwide awarded a fellowship from the International Radio and Television Society. That afforded me the chance to intern for WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News in New York, NY. I continued to work in television news as a reporter and anchor for ten years at KXLY-TV in Spokane, KSTW-TV in Tacoma, WA and KIRO-TV in Seattle, WA.

My coverage of protestors during the Persian Gulf War was nominated for an Emmy by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. My feature and general news reports earned numerous Awards of Excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists.

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