Annie Wilde

Annie Wilde was born in London, England. As a young girl she relocated with her family to the wilds of the Suffolk countryside. At just sweet sixteen, she moved back to the big city to train as a hairdresser. It was the Swinging Sixties, and she was slap-bang in the middle of all the excitement. Since then, Annie's life has been full of twists and turns, back roads, main roads, highways and junctions...all eventually leading to retirement on the Italian island of Sicily. Upon sorting through a lifetime of memorabilia stored in her garage, she stumbled upon a box of writings and drawings that were from a time of bedtime storytelling with her children and grandchildren. So, with time on her hands she decided to develop some of the characters and create “Emma Puff’s Secrets Series!” To her delight, the first-time author’s debut “Rusty and Emma’s Big Shock!” (Book 1) won the 36th Annual Independent Book Publisher’s Association Benjamin Franklin Award’s Silver Medal for Fiction: Young Readers (8-12). The book’s cover was a finalist for the 18th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards for Children’s Fiction Cover Design. This labor of love has been realized with the help of her family and friends to whom she is eternally grateful. Her plan did not include becoming an author in her 70s, but since embarking on this new journey, she has re-discovered her vivid imagination and is full of excitement about bringing the adventures of Emma Puff and all the other characters to life. With such a wealth of life experiences behind her to draw upon, there are no limits to the adventures that lie ahead. She hopes that children and adults alike can connect with the stories and bond with the characters that prove age is just a number and inside we are all still young at heart. Annie takes inspiration from the beautiful Sicilian sunshine and hanging out with people of all ages and from all walks of life.

She traveled to Denver to receive her award, and she wound up attending her first rodeo where she was introduced as an award-winning author.