Reader
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By the time this picture was taken at the age of ten I was a bona-fide book lover who spent hours reading Nancy Drew and anything else I could get my hands on.
Several important people shaped my love for books. Most importantly, my wonderful book-loving mother took my sisters Nancy, Kathy and me to the library every week. Thank you, Mom! My next-door neighbor and babysitter Mrs. Hopkins loved crossword puzzles and trained me to spell-check for her as she filled in the puzzle blanks. She kept three monkeys in her house in cages, and they would chatter and pull my hair through the bars as I looked up words in the dictionary. Thanks, Mrs. Hopkins, for teaching me to love words and spelling. Monkeys: thanks for the nightmares. |
Teacher
My love of books and words led me to teaching. For more than 26 years I enjoyed reading to and with my class and helping them write proficiently and creatively. Over the years I taught grades 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 as well as pull-out reading. For three semesters I taught college English in a special program for teacher aides, and I enjoyed mentoring new teachers. As an independent consultant/trainer for a curriculum company, I had the pleasure of spending many weekends sharing with my fellow teachers how to teach writing in their classrooms--a topic I love! Now that I am retired, I enjoy visiting schools and libraries to talk about writing.
Writer
I do a lot of my writing on my Nordic Track treadmill desk. How do I walk and write? The answer is I walk very slowly, about a mile an hour. Believe it or not, walking slowly helps me write very quickly.
While I'm a fast writer my road to publication was long and slow, stretching back to 2002 when I began collecting the first of hundreds of rejection letters. It took five years before I earned my first acceptance for a magazine poem. Six years later in 2013 I signed my first book contract. I'm now the author of 16 children's books. Many of my books are biographies of people I admire like Malala and Cesar Chavez.
Today I continue to learn and grow as a writer, branching out into historical fiction and quirky, fun picture books while also developing innovative ways to approach nonfiction topics. I'm available for work-for-hire writing including hi-lo and IP. I'm represented by Amy Thrall Flynn of Rubin Pfeffer Content.
While I'm a fast writer my road to publication was long and slow, stretching back to 2002 when I began collecting the first of hundreds of rejection letters. It took five years before I earned my first acceptance for a magazine poem. Six years later in 2013 I signed my first book contract. I'm now the author of 16 children's books. Many of my books are biographies of people I admire like Malala and Cesar Chavez.
Today I continue to learn and grow as a writer, branching out into historical fiction and quirky, fun picture books while also developing innovative ways to approach nonfiction topics. I'm available for work-for-hire writing including hi-lo and IP. I'm represented by Amy Thrall Flynn of Rubin Pfeffer Content.
Volunteer
In my volunteer role as the Regional Advisor for the Central-Coastal California chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), I arrange workshops and gatherings for writers and help new writers who want to learn the craft.
In addition, I'm a Past President of Kern Reading Association (KRA), and a volunteer with the Ventura Reading Association and the California Reading Association (CRA).
In addition, I'm a Past President of Kern Reading Association (KRA), and a volunteer with the Ventura Reading Association and the California Reading Association (CRA).