Zona Mae (Raymer) Crabtree grew up in the East Texas oil fields.  After attending Texas Woman's University, she taught Speech and English in Dalhart, Texas.  While there she met her husband, Joe, and gave up teaching for farming.  In 1968 they moved to near Verona, Missouri, on Spring River.  They have three children and several grandchildren with more on the way.  Between working beef cattle and milking Jerseys, Zona has worked with 4-H, substituted for area schools, and watched untold numbers of music, ball, and wrestling events of the children.  She worked with Aurora Community Theater for many years, serving on the board, directing, and occasionally acting.  She and her husband enjoy attending western and Indian type events.

    Zona's parents were from Kentucky, and the family visited there almost every summer.  When she was six years old a cousin took her to a cave on a family farm.  The cave was not large nor deep, but was impressive to a child of six.  The most unique part of the cave was a rise in the center containing a bowl shaped area in the rock floor.  The Indians had evidently used it to grind grain.  The cave made a lasting impression, but was thought to have been wiped out by a highway in the sixties.  While visiting in recent years, it was discovered that the highway had barely missed the cave.  After hiking down to see the cave after over fifty years, Zona returned home and started writing her first book.  The story took on a life of its own, left the cave area, and became four books known as The Corn Cave Series.  She self-published and handles the books from home.  Contact at zona@mo-net.com