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I am passionate about literature for young people. I love to read it, teach it, discuss it, and write it. My goal is to pen quality, classroom-friendly stories with unforgettable characters. As a former middle school teacher of literature, I prize the books that helped child after child fall in love with reading. Some of my read aloud favorites are as follows: MANIAC MAGEE by Jerry Spinelli, THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton, AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS by Gennifer Choldenko, BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE by Kate DiCamillo, PENNY FROM HEAVEN by Jennifer L. Holm, WHEN ZACHARY BEAVER CAME TO TOWN by Kimberly Willis Holt, CHICKEN BOY by Frances O'Roark Dowell, THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick, and LETTERS FROM RAPUNZEL by Sara Holmes. I completed my undergraduate education at Appalachian State University and my graduate work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am happily married with four children. I wrote a newspaper column for nearly six years about parenting and educational issues. I wrote for a number of professional journals on the subject of education, and I penned a children's book for The Grove Park Inn. I wrote ISABEL, my first picture book, my my talented illustrator friend, Laney Layton, as bibliotherapy after a powerful hurricane hit our community. I also wrote MAJOR BEAR AT THE GROVE PARK INN, capturing the story of the lost Roosevelt bear at the famous resort. I'm currently editing a middle grade novel set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina; the main character, born to illegal immigrants, struggles to anchor her family in their new world. I have a five complete picture book manusripts in submission via my agent, and a middle grade novel. My work is represented by Deborah Warren at East West Literary Agency.

I am passionate about literature for young people. I love to read it, teach it, discuss it, and write it. My goal is to pen quality, classroom-friendly stories with unforgettable characters. As a former middle school teacher of literature, I prize the books that helped child after child fall in love with reading. Some of my read aloud favorites are as follows: MANIAC MAGEE by Jerry Spinelli, TH... More