I live in the Houston, Texas area where I work as a sign language interpreter and write books for kids. I found both of those fields in a roundabout way.
In college I majored in psychology, but after taking some sign language courses, I decided that was a field I wanted to stick with. I’ve worked as a sign language interpreter ever since then. I still learn something new every day, and my work has taken me everywhere from classrooms to hospitals to Alaskan cruises.
I was born in Galesburg, Illinois, and grew up in Houston, Texas. After graduating from college in East Texas, I lived in windier and colder places, like Kansas and Minnesota. I’ve been much warmer since 1996, when I made it back to Texas.
For a few years I was also a special education teacher. My favorite thing to do was read great books with great kids. I loved the students, and teaching, but didn’t love the paperwork. Plus, it turns out teachers have to wake up really early.
I’ve always loved reading, but it was during those teaching years I fell in love with children’s literature all over again and became interested in writing, so there’s nothing about that I’d change.
I now have more time to write now that interpreting is my only “day job.” I still fill out paperwork every day, but this time it’s to fill pages with stories.
