In short:
I write children’s books with humor and heart, exploring themes of family, friendship, and community. Kar-Ben will publish my debut picture book, Cranky Hank and the Noisy Neighbors, in the spring of 2027. I live in the Boston area and on Cape Cod with my husband.
The longer version:
My writing journey began in a small town on the shores of Seneca Lake, surrounded by orchards and vineyards. My grandparents owned and operated a family fruit farm, dating back to the 1870’s. Growing up, I paid close attention to my family in order to claim an identity that hadn’t already been established by my two older siblings. Inventing tiny friends in the strawberry fields, making up new worlds in the apple trees, and constructing twisty straw forts in the barn enabled my imagination to flourish! And so I became “the creative one,” affectionately known as the oddball!
Books were encouraged in our home and some of my coziest memories are of being curled up in a lap, listening to a story while exploring the pictures. After listening to Go, Dog. Go! for the umpteenth time, I became a reader. Some of my favorite authors included Beverly Cleary (❤️to Beezus!), E.B. White (I named my daughter Charlotte), Robert McClusky, and Carolyn Keene of Nancy Drew fame.
Back then I thought authors were superheroes— certainly not regular people. The idea that I could publish a book didn’t occur to me until my mother introduced me to her friend Cynthia C. DeFelice, school librarian and children’s author! She assured me that with practice and persistence I could be an author one day just like her. I tucked away that idea as I began my career teaching kindergarten and first grade students. The daily exposure and read-alouds of picture books nudged me one step closer toward my dream of becoming a children’s book author.
During a teaching hiatus to raise my two children, I took the next step by completing the Writing for Children’s course at the Institute of Children’s Literature. Soon after, I published articles in Hopscotch, Listen Magazine, and Bay State Parent.
When my kids went off to middle school, I returned to the classroom as a reading specialist for grades K-5, and accumulated more knowledge of both the range of picture books, and their importance in developing language and literacy skills, social and emotional learning, creativity and love of reading.
At the end of 2021, I began to put my knowledge of picture books into practice with exercised persistence. I joined SCBWI, Julie Hedlund’s !2×12, and Inked Voices (2023 mentee). I took many classes and attended several workshops. I focused my writing on language-rich picture books layered with heart, humor, and a sense of belonging. And finally, I sold my first story to Kar-Ben!
I live with my husband between Boston and Cape Cod, MA where my two adult children often drop in for a visit. My drive to explore, imagine, and express myself extends to painting, quilting, baking, and crafting of any sort. I also continue to tutor developing readers.
