Bio
I am a writing nerd. I own four dictionaries: a behemoth library-sized Random
House Dictionary of the English Language, Webster’s New American dictionary,
Compact Oxford English dictionary, and a red paperback that I can’t put my
hands on at the moment. Well, I love words, what can I say?
I was that kid in elementary school who always had her nose in a book. I think I
read every book in the public library kid’s section by the time I was ten. Then
I started in on my parent’s huge collection. All that reading built my
vocabulary beyond my years.
But growing up female in 1960s and 1970s California I didn’t dare use my vast
vocabulary with my friends and neighbors. They would have ostracized me for
“putting on airs.” Instead, I tried to keep up with my mom at Scrabble on
Saturday nights.
My favorite part of the school day, besides recess, was creative writing. We could
write about anything. I think the teacher used this time to grade papers for
half an hour because I don’t remember getting any feedback on these writing
sessions.
But oh, how I loved them. I would sit and chew on my pencil for a while until an
idea hit me and then I was off like a shot, bent over my paper scribbling
scenes as fast as I could. When she called for us to stop, I was always at the
very best part. The ideas were hot, burning my pencil and I was eager to give
them life on the page. But no, it was time to move on to Social Studies. Consequently,
I still struggle with endings.
Nevertheless, I decided I would become an author. I continued to read voraciously. I did most
of my writing in the classroom, not realizing that writers write! So I’m coming
at this writing thing a little later in life with a little less confidence than
I should have.
My early jobs included food service, dance instructor, various retail jobs, and
banking. I also found time to volunteer. All these early experiences primed me
to write. I met and worked with many interesting characters who had varied and
exceptional experiences.
I also got to experience a version of poverty in America. I always had a roof
over my head, but with a husband, two small children, low paying jobs, and move
to rural Oregon, finances were tight. I applied for the free and reduced lunch
program for the kids and cut back to two meals a day for myself. We ate a lot
of beans and rice those years.
This motivated me to return to school. My time as a VISTA volunteer (volunteers in
service to America) helped fund a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts. Student
loans covered my Masters in Teacher Education. It took eight years to pay off
the loans, but I had a comfortable income with health benefits teaching
Kindergarten.
I retired in 2015 with the intent to realize my dream of becoming an author. So
far I’ve written three manuscripts for Middle Grade readers, a few magazine
articles, and over one hundred flash fiction stories.