Madonna Jervis Wise has been an educator, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and writer for all of her adult life. She launched her career with a newspaper column in her hometown newspaper called the 'Cougar Beat at age 16. She carries on this tradition with a weekly newspaper column for her hometown Florida weekly. Professionally she also writes federal, state and foundation grants for a variety of public agencies and non-profits. As an educator her roles have cover the gamete from elementary and high school principal to teacher, guidance counselor to district school director/supervisor. She has penned numerous academic curriculums and journal articles. She composed and developed Welcome to the FCAT Dude Ranch, for Florida Virtual School, as an innovative online eighth grade test preparation course thematically-centered around her own American Quarter Horse, Lark, and her love for anything equestrian. Madonna's writing centers around historical fiction and preserving memories as well as tween/teen fiction with embedded developmental messages. Her books include: Tapestry-Zephyrhills-An Anthology of Its History Through Education, Kachina and the Bully, Wildcat Creek Kids, Juanita In Blue Cookbook and Sam & Company. Madonna believes strongly in roots and relationships. She is a product of a rural farm life in the Midwest and moved to Florida in the early 1970s where she has spent her entire adult life. With many years as a school principal and a counselor, Madonna merges her knowledge of history with her in-depth understanding of the human psyche to not only reveal the details but convey to the reader the motivation and thoughts of the characters. Tapestry-Zephyrhills is a 740-page local history book that chronicles a small town in Florida throughout the twentieth century. Wildcat Creek Kids is a fictional Depression era account of a small town in Indiana where a particular location serves as the symbol of renewal, Wildcat Creek; it provides a glimpse at the Great Depression and its real impact upon rural events and people. Juanita In Blue Cookbook is a Depression-era cookbook based upon the recipes of Madonna's mother, a restaurateur in central Indiana known particularly for her gourmet pies. Two books offer educational resources. Kachina and the Bully is a tween/teen book that bestows the story of a fictional middle schooler navigating bullying scenarios; and was co-written with her daughter, Rachel. Sam & Company was co-written with her daughter, Mamie and chronicles the spirited but charismatic life of their beloved dog, Samantha. Each of these books contains activities for group discussion and follow-up. Madonna is currently finalizing two books, The Invitational and Soil Bank Moments which are due out in 2009. She credits her remarkable family, husband, Ernie and her children, Jervis, Mamie, and Rachel as the inspiration and joy of her life.
