I knew I wanted to be a writer ever since my second grade teacher liked a poem I wrote and asked if she could publish it in the PTA newsletter. She said the magic words, "YOU ARE A GOOD WRITER." That filled my heart and made me want to be a writer for the rest of my life.
That summer, my dad won a prize for me at the Ohio State Fair and when he asked what I wanted --I saw a giant stuffed pencil that said "I'M A BIG TIME WRITER" on it. My dad was confused as to why I wanted that instead of a cute teddy bear --but I knew that would help me focus. And I still have the giant pencil today. (and I am waaaaaaaay older than seven!)
I went to the Ohio State University and ended up becoming an English teacher because in addition to loving writing and books, I loved kids. But after I got married and had four kids of my own, I turned my attention back to writing.
In total, I taught high school English and Creative Writing for 17 years. I also teach college freshmen English at Miami University. But what brings me the most joy (other than my seven grandchildren!) is being able to write and share stories with you.
That summer, my dad won a prize for me at the Ohio State Fair and when he asked what I wanted --I saw a giant stuffed pencil that said "I'M A BIG TIME WRITER" on it. My dad was confused as to why I wanted that instead of a cute teddy bear --but I knew that would help me focus. And I still have the giant pencil today. (and I am waaaaaaaay older than seven!)
I went to the Ohio State University and ended up becoming an English teacher because in addition to loving writing and books, I loved kids. But after I got married and had four kids of my own, I turned my attention back to writing.
In total, I taught high school English and Creative Writing for 17 years. I also teach college freshmen English at Miami University. But what brings me the most joy (other than my seven grandchildren!) is being able to write and share stories with you.
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The girl with pigtails is me about the time I knew I wanted to write books.
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That same pencil (along with a couple of reminders of my books)
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My young family.
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My growing family today:
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