Afton Lisette Newton graduated Summa Cum Laude from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences. Her degree emphases of history, sociology and psychology reflect her desire to learn about the past and about people, and she uses this knowledge to write her books.
In addition to writing and reading – especially historical fiction and mysteries – Newton enjoys riding her POA ponies and is an accomplished horsewoman who earned many championships on a state, regional and national level in her fourteen years of showing on the Pony of the Americas show circuit. While achieving these goals, Afton had the opportunity to personally visit many historical sites – including those described in The Cousin Adventures – and to meet many different people across the country.
In addition to her POA experiences, Afton gained a better understanding of people, places and things through her fifteen year involvement with the 4-H club as both a leader and a member. She has also written features and articles for various publications and worked as a tutor and riding instructor, which provided her with more valuable insight about children and society. Afton attended kindergarten at the Gagie School in Kalamazoo, MI and elementary school at South Haven Public Schools. From 6th through 12th grade, the author was home-schooled, like the character Jen in The Cousin Adventures, which gave her the opportunity to pursue her many interests.
Newton currently resides with her parents, Tom and Carol Newton in South Haven, MI, about a mile from the shores of Lake Michigan. She also owns two POA ponies – Pal Fausteana who she rides and HH Cherokee Taboo who is her retired show pony – and several barn cats.
