About the Author

A book for all ages, Rieken says, “I wrote this for my grandchildren so they could understand what it was like to grow up on a farm in the days without electricity, cars and video games. It was a different world back then—one that is completely foreign to them now.”

Memoir projects are often created through an interview process as described in the Process segment of this Web site. Occasionally the author creates his/her own work and needs help bringing it to print. Growing Pains: A Childhood on Bear Creek falls into this category.

Author, Ethel Plaep Rieken, explains, “Producing Growing Pains entailed a 14-year commitment of attending writing classes at Rose City Park Presbyterian Church. After publishing one of my stories in Oregon Coast magazine, I decided to organize materials pertaining to my childhood into a book for my family. My dream came to fruition when I attended a 2003 Seniors’ Fair and met members of the Association of Personal Historians, Rick and Paula Slavens and Julie McDonald Zander.”