By day, I support the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at their headquarters in Washington, DC, but by night, I write kidlit stories, mostly picture books and middle grade novels. Now I know Aristotle said that life imitates art, but I say art imitates life, at least when it comes to my life and my art.  I always see my own adventures creeping into every fictional piece I’ve ever created. You see, I have a confession to make; I’m an action junkie. Yes. I’ll admit it freely. We’re a very action-oriented family.I’m a student pilot myself and the wife of a dare-devil aviator who flies in aerobatic competitions in a bi-plane we built ourselves in our garage and basement (really).

So the next thing I know…Poof! There’s a picture book about planes; then two! ….and then three!. And I love horses. My parents starred in a couple small-time, small-town western movies when I was a kid, so my brothers and I actually grew up on their movie sets and were riding horses before we could even walk. Since then, I’ve owned and trained horses for most of my life. So the next thing I know…schizam! There’s a fictional middle grade novel about a girl and her pony trying to earn a part in her parents’ western movie. I can’t wait to write books about snorkeling through an underground river, skydiving, scuba diving, car racing, and motorcycle riding…and all our other fun and daring action verbs!

So here’s my basic author’s bio: I have writing credits in national publications such as College Bound, Horse & Rider and the American Quarter Horse Journal and have served as a regular contributor on The Yellow Brick Road, a blogspot for children’s writers. With a degree in Education, I’ve also enjoyed working with middle school students as an Assistant Media Specialist and as a Riding Instructor for the Girl Scouts. These days, like I said, I work at the FAA headquarters in Washington, DC….which happens to be right across the street from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and around the corner from the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) headquarters and …Voila! There’s another action-packed picture book.

See? For me, art imitates my life.

Happy reading to all!