I received my first diary when I was six years old. It was pink and had a fancy little lock on it. My first entry was about catching ladybugs and how many I collected, but my favorite entry was about my future husband! When I was 10 years old, I met a cute boy at a water park (we grew up ten minutes from each other). Later that night, I wrote about him in my diary—how he had black curly hair and blue eyes and wore red swim trunks. Flash forward nine years, and a friend introduced the two of us. We started dating, and later in our relationship, he showed me his ‘baby’ book. One of the pictures was of him (black hair and blue eyes) wearing red swim trunks! He was that cute boy I met at the water park!

In high school, I pretended I was an editor for The New York Times and would write reviews of my own made-up books. I loved making books and writing poetry. My mom kept me busy with crafts of all kinds. It wasn’t a surprise that art and writing were some of my favorite classes in school. I finished college with a B.S. in elementary education. I spent countless hours with kids in daycare settings and schools. My favorite time of day with the kids was story time.  It was always fun to make up different voices for each character, make faces, and be “in character.”  

I received my M.S. in instructional technology. That degree brought me to Colorado to work for a .com startup in the late ‘90s. I trained professors to use a management system to create their own online courses. I created a train-the-trainer program chock-full of technical writing mumbo jumbo. I taught an after-school writing course for children through my Young Writer’s Workshop. Now I’m a paraprofessional at my local school, helping with reading and writing.

My husband and I enjoy taking our three little bears camping. We love exploring and being outdoors together! Colorado offers many amazing opportunities. I am a descendant of a member (my Father) of the Klamath tribe in Klamath, Oregon, and of the Maori tribe in New Zealand. My current YA novel blends my heritage, standing up for what’s right, while preserving art and nature. Our dog is a Great Bernese. She is half Great Pyrenees and half Bernese Mountain Dog. She is 85 lbs.

Other things you should know about me: 
I loved it when my parents would read me: 
* Could Be Worse by James Stevenson
* The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
* Fox Eyes by Margaret Wise Brown
* Three Friends Find Spring by Judy Delton
* The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

I devoured:
* Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
* Encyclopedia Britannica (every volume)
* National Geographic magazines
* Comics
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
* Everything by Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume
* The Giver by Lois Lowry
* The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
* City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
* The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
and so, so many more…

We need to treat the Earth better, for us and future generations.
I eat a salad and dark chocolate just about every day.
I recycle and get a little obsessed when people in my family don’t recycle correctly!
Don’t get me started on loading the dishwasher!
I compost.
I love Pho soup and Pad Thai (our recipe).
My favorite flowers are ranunculus and poppies. 

Writing is hard, but I love it!