A Bit About Me

My frog friend in Minnesota

I grew up 15 miles outside of Chicago, which might explain my fascination with bootleggers and ghosts. Yet I have also always been drawn to animals and nature, with a great love for reading and writing. My favorite books growing up were Charlotte’s Web, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Beezus and Ramona. In the second grade, I wrote my first piece for the Britten Bulldog Brigade to celebrate the first Earth Day.

While I wrote poems and even a play for my 7th grade class, I set out to be a science teacher and graduated from Concordia University. But serendipity landed me the absolute dream job. I became a Naturalist at a wildlife center where I wrote and taught nature programs.

Then my husband and I took a trip to the Pacific Northwest. The misty rain and lush forests swallowed me whole. I’ve lived here ever since. After raising two wonderful boys in a house filled with animals, I began writing stories (animals, historical, monsters, ghosts). But no matter what the story is about, I hope each one will leave the reader with some feeling of love or hope or determination (infused with a little laughter along the way).

I’m not sure where I got my information. I do wear glasses now, but not because of pollution.

Scaredy Dog and Me was inspired by our rescue dog, Chester—my favorite wild animal.

My novel, Salty Alyce, the Wolves and the Raintree is on submission. I have published two pieces in Cricket Magazine which you can read in my Featured Work here.