I was a storyteller for years before I sat down to write a picture book manuscript. Storytelling was my parenting superpower: fussy child, frightened child, unhappy child—all could be distracted with a continuous flow of words. The words didn’t even have to make that much sense as long as they served the mantra of “distraction, distraction, distraction”. 

 

I have long since forgotten what adventures befell Fred the Red Sled or Fred the Camel, but I never forgot the fun I had creating those stories, so when said child left for university, I began to try my hand at writing picture books. I have been learning, participating, and writing ever since. I adore words and playing with language, and delight in spinning a story from a single-word prompt.

 

I grew up in an old house full of books, which no doubt inspired my earlier career in historic preservation and my current journey as a writer for children. Where my love of chocolate came from I have no idea, but it, too, is a guiding force in my life. I moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 2022 after living ten years in Basel, Switzerland, where the houses are truly old and the chocolate, thankfully, plentiful. 

I have also lived in Croatia, Thailand and Hong Kong. I used to work as a historian with the US National Park Service and was co-founder of the non-profit organization Adventures in Preservation. Maybe one day I will write a story about all that!

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I have an AB (American Studies) from Hamilton College and a MA (Preservation Studies) from Boston University.

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