Biography
I grew up in Midland, Michigan,
and I developed an interest in writing early on. My parents encouraged my interest; in fact, I
remember the first poem I ever wrote, because when I showed it to my Mom, not
only did she tell me it was “Wonderful!” she also told me
I should put a date on it, because “real writers always date their work.” That bit of
encouragement helped me develop a good writing habit and also provided me with a
lifelong belief in myself as a Real Writer.
I had wonderful
English teachers throughout my primary education, including an entertaining
writing teacher whose voice I still hear in my head when I employ colons,
semi-colons, and other punctuation challenges.
I wrote creatively throughout those years, and well into college.
During college, writing
began to take a backseat as I explored a number of potential career paths and interests. I took courses in telecommunications, psychology,
political science, acting, philosophy, anthropology, and more, but I never
found a field of study that fit quite right.
After I graduated, with a multidisciplinary social science degree, I
worked for many years at an independent bookstore. I loved being in the constant presence of
books as well as in the company of wonderful co-workers. During that time, I took a few classes in
accounting, with the thought that I might some day work for the GAO, ferreting
out government waste and corruption; but though my accounting coursework introduced
me to the fascinating world of numbers, the accountant career possibility
didn’t fit quite right either. Finally,
I decided on librarianship, and I returned to school to earn my MILS. After graduation, I began work as a librarian.
My husband and I
started a family, and our children were enthusiastic about books from a very
early age. I found myself immersed in
children’s literature on a day-to-day basis, and the experience reawakened my
interest in writing. I began to write
stories for my boys and discovered I enjoyed it more than I had any other genre
of writing. I joined SCBWI and then became
a member of an extraordinary critique group, through which I’ve learned immeasurably
about the craft of writing. Writing in
rhyme is especially appealing to me, as it combines my love of words with my
more analytical love of form and rhythm.
My current day-job is
as the financial manager of a small nonprofit organization, and I enjoy the
work tremendously. But my true joy comes
from writing for children. Writing for
children has allowed me to combine all the various paths I’ve traveled and
explored into one pursuit that -- at last -- fits just right.