Donna Lee Dicksson was born with insatiable curiosity and a compulsive need to share.

While researching her first book, Mattie Lee Price, the Forgotten Georgia Wonder, she stumbled across two intriguing historical circus characters. Pulling on that little red thread of lost history, she found a world of resilient and fascinating people and a story that needed to be told. Thus began the quest to uncover and tell the story of Anna Matchett and Alasco Charles White.

She lives in Texas with her husband and two African Grey parrots. She is the mother of two grown children, has three granddaughters and one great granddaughter. When not researching and writing, Donna is an avid photographer, gardener, and homemaker. Training her own birds and dogs has helped her build great relationships with her pets. She is a volunteer photographer for a service dog organization.

“At eight I wanted to be a clown. My teachers were concerned and asked why. My answer: People take themselves too seriously. They need to laugh more.”

*20% of royalties will be donated to 501C3 organizations that care for retired circus animals.