Warren has been a Sunnyvale resident since 1948. For 42 years she wore a starched, white nurse's uniform, but now she sports a colorful T-shirt and cream-colored long pants. But it's her experiences as a nurse that are the subject of most of her books.

"As a young nurse during the Depression, I held clinics for migrant farmworkers in California, Arizona and Utah. The federal government's Agricultural Workers Health and Medical Association was my boss," Warren recalls. "The writing bug bit me later when I worked as an industrial nurse for Westinghouse in Sunnyvale."

She attended Norma Youngberg's adult education writing class and took the teacher's advice: "Write what you know." Her fledgling attempts flourished. Avon Books signed her for its series slanted toward young people.

"I was amazed," Warren says. "The editor liked my query letter, and I sold nine books."

Her theme of nursing remained constant in her stories, but she varied locations to add zest and flavor.

"I worked in Yosemite for a year and used that as a background for one book. I was familiar with the Mendocino wine country, so that proved a setting for another."

"The lively atmosphere at Great America amusement park contributed a wonderful backdrop for one story," Warren says.

Warren enjoys interviewing people and takes detailed notes. Writing memorabilia fills her home. A large collage of articles she's written adorns one wall. Pilot, McCalls, Forecast and the Westinghouse Newsletter are among many publications carrying Warren's byline.

Warren has passed her enthusiasm on.

Her son, Albert Warren, says, "Mom raised me on her own. She's dedicated her life to me and encouraged me in all my endeavors. She is excellent at what she does and is the glue that holds our family together."

As a freelancer, Warren traveled extensively. Often she worked with Jim Caparelli, a prize-winning photographer and airplane enthusiast.

"I first met Jim while writing an article about a renovated World War I airplane. Over the years we attended numerous airshows. I wrote a story about the first 63-year-old woman to receive a helicopter pilot's license."

A local writer and teacher, Erna Holyer, was the subject of a Warren profile. "[Warren] came to my house to interview me," says Holyer. "What a bright, active lady. I was impressed by her spunk and professionalism."

Warren's latest book, West By Handcart, is dear to her heart. She spent years pouring over family journals. In 1856, her Scottish great-grandfather, Daniel D. McArthur, was captain of a Mormon party that made the 1300-mile trek from Iowa City to Salt Lake City.

"All my life I'd heard about this story and longed to write it," Warren says. "Everyone in Great-Grandfather's party survived. West By Handcart is written as fiction, but all the historical settings are true."

Benjamin Franklin said, "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." Beatrice Warren has done both.