Hey Friends!
I'm a mother, poet, and author of children's books. You can check out Clark Monkey and Little Bitty Jellyfish while I work on completing my third children's book, Love Is Not Like Cake. When I am not working, you can find me crafting, raising kind kiddos, and wrangling ducks on our farm here in the beautiful mountains of Galax. Virginia.
My Story
I was born and raised in North Carolina. At an early age, it was clear that I had quite the imagination and just needed a place to let it thrive. I wrote stories in elementary school, created elaborate Soap Operas with my Barbies, and performed in commercials and stage productions. In high school, I joined the Dead Poet's Society and fell in love with writing poetry and performing in the theater.
In the early 2000s, I attended Catawba College and published a couple of poems in the Arrowhead.
Most people set a goal, educate themselves, and then work hard to achieve their goals. I do things a bit differently. I never set out to be a children's book author. I became a mother. I spent long nights bouncing a baby on my shoulder and using that imagination I had tucked away to create a song that would calm my baby down.
Life has a way of taking us on some crazy adventures. Sometimes it feels like our plans have been derailed or we've fallen off track. But, just as cleverly as we got lost, the universe brings us right back.
I moved to Florida for ten years. I married a loyal and friendly fireman. I operated a food blog and then ran a cottage cupcake bakery from my home. I joined a roller derby team. We had a daughter. Once again, I found myself bouncing a baby on my shoulder and relying on that imagination to create a song for her as well.
The pandemic of 2020 necessitated the world slow down. I found myself jumping into projects that I had been putting off. We grew a garden. I painted our bedroom. I decided I should probably write those songs down so my children could have them in perpetuity.
I wrote Clark Monkey first and was blessed with an illustrator who was able to capture the colorful playfulness of Clark Monkey. While he worked on the illustrations, I continued to write. I started writing poetry on Medium. I self-published a book of poetry entitled Love Letters To A Narcissist. Then, it was time to write Little Bitty Jellyfish. Again, I was blessed with a very talented illustrator. I felt like his style was more in line with what I envisioned for the book. He captured the cute nature of Little Bitty Jellyfish and included underwater scenes that look like they are from a movie.
After serving twenty-five years in the fire department, my spouse retired, and we decided to move out of Florida into the mountains of Virginia. We found a piece of property in Galax that has become a home for our two children, dog, three cats, two horses, eight ducks, and two geese. We run a little homestead with a farm stand and laugh at all the shenanigans along the way.
As the unmedicated ADHD adult that I am, I currently have several projects in the works. One of them is a third children's book called Love Is Not Like Cake. I am going to try my hand at doing my own illustrations for that one. We will see how that goes. I am also working on my debut novel, tentatively titled Digging For Truth. You can read my thoughts and poetry along the way over on Substack. I appreciate you being along for the journey!
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.