Brenda was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona. Mesa is a suburb of Phoenix, is the 38th largest city in the U.S. and covers 132 square miles. She currently resides in Tempe, Arizona- The home of ASU and, in large part thanks to ASU, a huge variety of places to eat. Also a suburb of Phoenix, Tempe is much smaller than Mesa and covers less than 40 square miles. Brenda lives with her husband Joel and her daughter Jordan in a house she describes as her own private resort. It isn't large or very fancy, but it has a big sparkling swimming pool, lots of windows and an open airy feel that makes her happy. She also loves the way the pool casts reflected light on the ceiling of her bedroom. Brenda has been writing since she was a small child. Her earliest known work is a poem entitled "Bugs Are Neat Things". It goes "Bugs are neat things, snug, bug, hug, snug as a bug in a rug." Brenda wrote it in Kindergarten.