As soon as I was old enough to know books weren’t born in a library, I wanted to write my own.

I grew up on a small farm in a town with no stoplights, but I knew the world was a big place because of the books my mom read to me.

We eventually traded life on the farm for life in a desert town, much bigger and more varied. It was a shock to my young system and I hated it … at first.

Books were my friends those first few days and my escape.

After time, I came to love my home and the educational opportunities that came with a bigger city. I eventually went off to college, with a stint in Finland in between, and graduated with a degree in public relations.

I landed my first job in high-tech doing international public relations. Moved from there to work at a private college in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, and eventually on to D.C., where I worked in the community relations department of an international organization.

As most good stories go, I met a man, fell in love and decided to marry him. He was a foreign service officer on his way overseas, so I joined him.

I’d already traveled quite a bit before getting married, so my family’s adventures abroad just added to the stories brewing in my head. I had to find a place to put them. I decided to dust off the dream of childhood and write my own stories.

I’ve since joined The Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Julie Hedlund’s 12×12, and completed Joyce Sweeney’s Picture Book Essentials Class, Mira Reisberg’s Picture Book Academy, Emma Walton Hamilton’s Just Write Middle Grade, Renee LaTulippe’s Lyrical Language Lab and James Patterson’s Master Class.

A few of my favorite children’s book creators are:

• Helen Lester
• Mo Willems
• Kelly DiPucchio
• Don and Aubrey Wood
• Antoinette Portis
• Chris Riddell
• Peter Brown
• Graeme Base
• Godeleine de Rosamel
• Sandra Boynton
• Vivian French
• Chris Van Allsburg
• Leslie Patricelli
• Lane Smith
• Jon Scieszka
• Gail Carson Levine
• Roald Dahl
• Llyod Alexander
• Kate DiCamillo
• C.S. Lewis
• Madeline L’Engle
• Antoinette Portis
• Brandon Mull
• The Fan Brothers
• Angie Sage
• JK of course
• Bill Watterson—okay, technically he’s not a kid’s writer, but I loved him as a kid.
• And too many to go on …

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

-Harriet Tubman