When I was in fifth grade, I had obnoxious down to a science. From breaking pens and smearing ink on my desk, to picking on the boys and having a loud, non-stop mouth, I was a frequent fixture in the principal’s office. One day he told me, “See how principal is spelled? It has the word ‘pal’ at the end because I’m your pal.” A short time later, he attended one of my volleyball games. In a show of support, he walked across the gym and stood next to me when it came my turn to serve. As fate would have it, the ball flew straight
up and hit the ceiling, where it dislodged a ceiling tile that dropped straight down and broke apart on top of his bald head. After that, the poor man could barely even make eye contact with me!

Fortunately, a class essay assignment showed me how to channel my emotions through writing. More importantly, it taught me I needed to believe in myself — even if no one else did. I grew up and worked for nearly two decades as a writer for several regional and national publications. I’ve also worked as a graphic designer and photographer. However, my dream of illustrating has only begun to come to fruition within the past year. I find all my creative efforts are most fulfilling when I can help kids understand — as I did so many years ago — that believing in yourself is paramount to surviving life’s inevitable twists and turns.

I’m married to a firefighter and we have four children, one grandchild, four llamas, two Huskies and one German Shepherd. When I’m not in front of the computer, I enjoy hiking in the mountains of Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah, and spending time with my kids and dogs.