

Children's Author * Researcher * Presenter
About me
Hello,
From the time I was little, I wanted to be a teacher. I’d make flashcards with words and pictures, to teach my “class” of stuffed animals and dolls how to read. Many years later, I became a real teacher and I loved my work. I really enjoyed teaching about the Oregon Trail, the Chicago Fire, archaeology and immigration.
I think that’s why I’m a nonfiction writer for kids. I still do all the research, like I did as a teacher. But instead of standing in front of a classroom, I write it down in books. I enjoy finding little-known stories and shining a light on them.
Of course to be an author, you need to know how to write. That’s why I went back to school. In January, 2018, I graduated from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Did you know you could enroll in a college program that’s all about writing for kids?
I lived in Schaumburg, Illinois for twenty years and spent most of that time teaching at Lincoln Prairie School, in Hoffman Estates. I moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where I continue to write nonfiction books for the classroom.


Performing with my students at Lincoln Prairie School, Hoffman Estates, IL.