As a little girl, I loved to read, write, and watch movies.
Not necessarily in that order. From the time I learned my alphabet, I wrote things. In some of the children's books my mother saved you can still see bits and pieces of my overly large printing. I don't know why I wrotein my books unless I hoped even then to write books of my own. As I got older and farther along in school I realized that subjects that involved reading and writing, like Language Arts and history, came much more easily and held my attention longer than science or math. Many of my essays were pretty long winded! I guess I could have used an editor then so it's a good thing I have one now!

My mother was a teacher and influenced me to become a teacher too.
I graduated with a BA in English Education and taught in grades 6-9 for many years. My father took up painting in his fifties and his "can do"attitude showed me that it is never too late to pursue a dream. My daughter has been my biggest inspiration; her adoption story formed the basis for two of my picture books.

In 1988, I started writing articles for Roots and Wings, An Adoption Magazine. In the next few years I branched out to other publications including "Western New York Family, The Buffalo News, and Children's Writer".

I published my first of several books for children in 2000. Just as the new millennium kicked off, so did my career as a Children's writer. An American Face and The Coffee Can Kid, (The Child Welfare League of America), both have adoption themes The Garden Angel, (Centering Corporation), deals with the death of a beloved grandfather.

I have also written educational non-fiction texts for a variety of publishers, including Pearson Education, Scholastic Inc., and EnslowPublisher.

Vermont, (Scholastic), is about the northern New England state.
The Rhino, (Enslow), looks into the five remaining species of rhino on earth.
Discover the Ocean, (Pearson Learning), is about the oceans of the world.

My first novel was written for teens.

Grace Happens, (Viking/Puffin), is about the daughter of a famous movie star and her quest for a normal life.

I am a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Association of Professional Women's Writers, and an instructor for The Institute of Children's Literature.