By Ken Raymond Book Editor kraymond@oklahoman.comWhen she was in second grade, Kim Ventrella won a writing contest with “a creepy story about taxidermy.” That was enough to convince her, even at such a young age, that she wanted her career to focus on books and writing. Her life carried her in some unique directions: she worked as a live-in staff member at a women's shelter in New Orleans, volunteered with the Peace Corps in Kyrgyzstan, interned at a refugee resettlement organization in Maryland, taught French at the University of Oklahoma and became a youth librarian.Read more on NewsOK.com