About Me

A fourth generation Californian, I was born into a family of educators and musicians, so I was destined to be creative from Day One. I mean, what else could I do with perfect pitch? When I climbed up onto the piano bench at age 3 and plunked out “Happy Birthday” with my thumb, the die was cast. Music filled my life from then on, but so did books. My summers were spent either reading or playing my flute and piano. I became a teacher after my mother and grandmother before me, but writing books didn’t really interest me until I retired from teaching in 2005. Let’s just say, when you look up “late bloomer” in the dictionary, you’ll see my picture.

We moved to Arizona when I was nine, where I learned to play the violin and flute. Favorite books during elementary school included The Box Car Children, anything by Carolyn Haywood and Beverly Cleary, and of course, the Nancy Drew series. My fourth grade teacher read us the Little House books, and I still own the whole series today. During my high school years, I was influenced by such authors as George Orwell, John Steinbeck, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. My writing experiences included the usual essays and short stories required in any AP English class, plus a two-year stint on the newspaper staff. When given a choice, I would much rather take an essay test than multiple choice. I had a knack for finding a reason that every choice could work in some situation. So I welcomed the chance to defend my conclusions in essay form. I received my bachelor's degree in Music Education from Northern Arizona University and my master's from Arizona State. I taught elementary band and general music for twelve years, before making the decision to move into the regular classroom. For 20 years I taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grade until I retired.

I guess you could say that I reinvented myself after retirement. I had written several school musicals that aligned with the curriculum, as well as seven collaborations for a community children's theatre, for which I received four AriZoni Awards for Original Music Composition. Writing seemed to come naturally to me, so I set out to write a series of picture books with an original song for each. One publisher suggested I write chapter books and middle grade. I took that advice and finally found my writing voice. My first chapter book, Mortimer and Me, is based on the bedtime stories my dad used to tell me when I was a child. My books are about the things I love most - family, music, traveling to exotic places, and just the joy of being a kid!

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Events

School Visits: Now scheduling in-person and virtual visits for the 2025-2026 school year. Contact me to set a date!

Book Festivals:

October 18, 2025, 10:00am-3:00pm: Desert Foothills Book Festival, Holland Center, Scottsdale, AZ

December 6, 2025, 10:00am-8:00pm: Mesa Book Festival, Downtown Mesa, AZ

Book Signings:

September 20, 2025, 11:30am-3:30pm: Barnes and Noble Story time and Book signing at Dana Park, Mesa, AZ

November 1, 2025, 10:00am-12:00pm: Moose Party@HD South, Gilbert, AZ

December 13, 2025, 1:00pm: Panel and Book signing, Sedona Public Library (Community Room), Sedona, AZ

Special Online Events:

NEW!!! I've started a new video series leading up to the release of my newest book, Mortimer and Lily: Moose in Training. I'll be taking you through every phase of writing this book, from brainstorming ideas, to outlining, to writing and revising drafts. You'll also meet my new illustrator, Tanja Bauerle, who will be giving us some sneak peeks of her illustrations. Check it out here!