Dori Chaconas was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The second child in a family of seven, she fell into the role of storyteller, nursery rhyme singer, and general entertainer for her siblings. She claims she learned about story pacing early. If the story action lagged, her fidgety audience would either scatter or start a poking war.
She has been married to Nick, her high school sweetheart, for 52 years. They raised four daughters, and are now enjoying three grandsons.
When her daughters were young, Dori wrote for them. She published three picture books and more than fifty stories in children’s magazines in the 1960s. In the 70’s, her interest turned to yarn embroidery design and she sold designs to major needlework companies and national magazines.
In 1997, Dori started writing stories again, partly to keep her grandsons from fidgeting or starting poking wars. Her stories reflect the warmth of family life. Dori gives credit to her parents for giving her a strong sense of family, and to her children and grandchildren for keeping it alive.
She is the author of nineteen books for children, including picture books Mousie Love and Coriander the Contrary Hen and the six Cork and Fuzz easy-readers and is under contract for four more books to be published in the future.