Jean Reagan on Good 4 Utah

Children's books author Jean Reagan joins us and tells her inspiration for her books as well as being a back-country volunteer in Grand Teton National Park.

Jean was born in Alabama, but spent most of her childhood in Japan. She's lived in Utah for over 35 years. In the summer, husband and she are back-country volunteer park rangers in Grand Teton National Park. They live without water or electricity; their neighbors being elk, bears, and even mountain lions.

Her first book, ALWAYS MY BROTHER, (2009) was written as a result of her son’s death to a heroin overdose at age 19. The book is aimed at younger children so the characters are younger and it focuses on coping with sibling loss, not the cause of death. The emotional story mirrors their family's path.

All her recent, fun How-to books (4 published, 4 more in production) are “sprinkled” with her son's memory. This series regularly makes The New York Times bestseller list.