A lifelong doll lover, Linda Mason has been at work in her Northern California studio for over twenty years. Inspired by her large family and many friends, she uses real children as models for many of her amazingly lifelike child dolls. They come to life only when completed, each revealing its unique personality and "whispering" the appropriate name. Ms. Mason, many-time winner of both the prestigious Dolls Award of Excellence and Doll of the Year awards, most recently received a 2004 Dolls Award of Excellence for her Treasury Collection doll "Valentine's Kisses."