
I spent much of my childhood in a canoe or sailboat, exploring the creek behind my house in Virginia. When the tide was right and a thunderstorm wasn’t brewing, I could follow that creek to the James River and glimpse the Chesapeake Bay.
When I wasn’t on the water, I was often climbing trees, playing piano, or reading and acting out Nancy Drew mysteries with friends.
- My backyard while growing up in Virginia
- A park near my current home in Indiana
Today, I am a children’s book author living in Indiana. I love to discover amazing true stories and share them with readers. Often, I write about science, nature, and people involved in those fields. My book for grades 4-8 on cybersecurity was released in August 2019, and NIGHT BECOMES DAY: CHANGES IN NATURE for grades K-3 was published in 2021. I’ve got two more books under contract, and I look forward to sharing more about them soon! I have written many articles for national children’s magazines, too. They cover bionic limbs, cell phone addiction, the physics of snowflakes. and much more.
Between my childhood in Virginia and current life in the Midwest, I had many exciting experiences. I worked on an archaeological dig in France, earned a degree in English and environmental science, and moved to the mountains of Vermont. I studied environmental law at Vermont Law School and wrote a book about the state’s controversial land-use law (Act 250). When I graduated, I worked as an environmental consultant, helping companies comply with laws that protect the land and water around us.
Eventually, my husband and I moved to a historic town in Indiana. We began raising three children–who are now young adults! I spent hours reading with them, delighting in the adventures of Henry and Mudge, Frog and Toad, Hank the Cowdog, the Cobblestone Cousins, and characters from classics like Rabbit Hill, Soup, and The Saturdays. I rediscovered the joy of children’s literature and decided to write for children.
I’m curious about lots of things, from music and art to botany and history. I like to explore the abstract and the analytical, to link the poetic and the precise. When those things overlap, I find magical moments of wonder.
When I’m not writing, I give piano lessons, take walks with friends, and volunteer at church and school. I still love to paddle a canoe when I get the chance.