About the Author Gail Blankenau is an award-winning freelance writer who has written for such top publications as Field & Stream, Lapidary Journal, Country Victorian Accents and regionals such as NebraskaLand and others. She specializes in children's writing, with pieces sold to Boys' Life, Hopscotch for Girls & Friend magazine. Gail was raised in western Nebraska where she spent countless hours riding horses in the Pine Ridge. She still enjoys the outdoors with her family. Mountain Pirates is her first work of book-length fiction.             Copyright 2001 Gail Blankenau, all rights reserved