Marlinda Friend writes beginner chapter books and picture books starring siblings Wyatt and Claire and their cousin Rylen, whose wildly imaginative adventures all start at the family's beach house in Rockaway Beach, Oregon.
Years ago, it became a tradition: after days spent beachcombing and adventuring, Marlinda, who the littles call Mar Mar, would tuck them into bed at The Friend Ship and lie on the floor of their shared room, spinning made-up bedtime tales they called Mar Mar stories. The trouble was, the story changed a little every time, and the littles always complained she was telling it wrong. So when one story became the clear favorite, she finally wrote it down exactly as they liked it, and that became Silly Sally Susie Goes to Space, the first book in the collection.
That's when a bigger idea took hold: turn the stories into real books, so that someday, when the littles bring their own families back to The Friend Ship, they'll have these same stories to read and tuck their own little ones into bed with.
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Book one has already set sail. Book two is being worked on in dry dock, with a launch targeted for the holiday season 2026.
Wyatt, Rylen, and Claire hitch a ride with Uncle Charlie on his brand-new spaceship, along with their unicorn friend Silly Sally Susie, for a trip to the Milky Way that gets a little more magical (and a little gassier) than planned.
When Rocky the brown pelican's cousin Elvis, a shoebill from Africa, comes to visit, the kids set out to help him find a fish he'll actually enjoy since the Oregon coast has no lungfish or crocodiles on the menu. Along the way they meet other birds of prey, ride a train, and taste-test just about everything that swims, before Elvis heads home having tried it all.
Marlinda lives in Sherwood, Oregon, with her husband and their two dogs, Cal Kestis and Ahsoka Tano. When she isn't working or writing, she's usually spending time with family and friends. She also loves planning her next adventure, whether it's a cross-country road trip, a Disney vacation, or a weekend somewhere new. When she stays home, there's a good chance she's deep into a video game or listening to an audiobook.
Marlinda has always been drawn to the ocean. She escapes to The Friend Ship as often as she can, enjoying quiet mornings with coffee on the deck and evenings around a bonfire with the whole family, s'mores included. Some of her best ideas have come while sitting in an Adirondack chair, a glass of scotch in hand to ward off the Oregon Coast chill, raising her glass to the stars and saying the same word every time: "Heaven."
Perhaps that's why her stories always begin at the beach and are never afraid to wander far beyond it.
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