About Me
I was born in Chicago, but grew up in the Windy City’s south suburbs where my imagination placed me onto my bike and into the woods on all-day-make-believe adventures. (Thank you, Trudy, for always tagging along!) I attended Bloom High School where I enjoyed learning the ropes of journalism as the features' editor of our newspaper, The Broadcaster. I dreamed of becoming a special ed. teacher and a speech pathologist when I grew up. As a young woman, I called South Bend, IN my home, and it was on the lawn of the University of Notre Dame where my husband proposed.
Since then I have lived in rural Virginia with my family. I couldn't be more delighted to have raised my three (most-talented!) children in such a beautiful place–surrounded by Blue Ridge Mountains, friendly smiles, and howdy-dos. For over ten years, it’s been my privilege to have worked within the local school system as a parent volunteer, a special ed. teacher’s assistant, and now as a substitute teacher.
As a freelance journalist, I have worked on editorial assignment for Charlottesville Family's award-winning BLOOM magazine, covering a wide-range of topics. My kidlit work has appeared in LADYBUG, and was placed with HIGHLIGHTS for Children. My articles regarding the craft of writing for children--chock full of advice shared from kidlit pros--has appeared in Children's Book Insider, Kid Magazine Writer, the Institute of Children's Literature & in the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Bulletin & the Mid-Atlantic Highlighter.
Since then I have lived in rural Virginia with my family. I couldn't be more delighted to have raised my three (most-talented!) children in such a beautiful place–surrounded by Blue Ridge Mountains, friendly smiles, and howdy-dos. For over ten years, it’s been my privilege to have worked within the local school system as a parent volunteer, a special ed. teacher’s assistant, and now as a substitute teacher.
As a freelance journalist, I have worked on editorial assignment for Charlottesville Family's award-winning BLOOM magazine, covering a wide-range of topics. My kidlit work has appeared in LADYBUG, and was placed with HIGHLIGHTS for Children. My articles regarding the craft of writing for children--chock full of advice shared from kidlit pros--has appeared in Children's Book Insider, Kid Magazine Writer, the Institute of Children's Literature & in the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Bulletin & the Mid-Atlantic Highlighter.
I have been an Mid-Atlantic SCBWI member since 2005, and I am thrilled to say that since January 2017, I've been the content editor of our region's beautifully designed newsletter, the Highlighter, which is more of an e-zine than a newsletter. I love gathering the advice and sharing the experiences of kidlit pros from our region and beyond. You'll find me celebrating all things kidlit on my BLOG. (Hope you'll stop over and leave a comment or two!)
If you'd like to read an interview, thanks to my friend of the pen, Katherine Erskine, there is one online, posted after my middle-grade, FREEDOM PEN, was published in 2012. You can read it HERE.
If you'd like to read an interview, thanks to my friend of the pen, Katherine Erskine, there is one online, posted after my middle-grade, FREEDOM PEN, was published in 2012. You can read it HERE.
