From the Gold Rush to the Baby Boom, women struggled against social custom, restrictive laws, and limited career opportunities. Under the Almond Trees is the novelized account of three ordinary women who lived extraordinary lives in early California. One learns independence when she is widowed and must lead men. Another desires a career in a man's field. The third wants only a traditional family?until her husband refuses to pay for their daughter's college education. Their legacy resounds beyond the family. I am proud to be their relative and honored to share their story.

Linda Ulleseit was born and raised in Saratoga, California, and has taught elementary school in San Jose since 1996. She enjoys cooking, cross-stitching, reading, and spending time with her family. Her favorite subject is writing, and her students get a lot of practice scribbling stories, essays, and reports. Someday Linda hopes to see books written by former students alongside hers in bookstores.

Her first novel, ON A WING AND A DARE, published in May, 2012, is a Young Adult fantasy set in medieval Wales, complete with flying horses, a love triangle, and treachery. Its sequel, IN THE WINDS OF DANGER, was published in 2013. It follows a different set of characters as they come to terms with their past in order to plan their future.