I’m a teacher, a writer, a mentor, and a traveler.

About

Thank you for stopping by to visit!

I love to create stories with pithy dialogue, gritty action, mind-blowing plots, and unique characters—flawed, passionate, and sometimes disturbed. And with my fantasy series, starring specially abled teens—I create characters not of this world. I’m super excited to share my new Power Write Books series, which teach writing skills to middle school, high school, and early college-aged students. Check them out on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Learn more about them at PowerWriteBooks.com. I know—too many websites—but I’ve been at this a lot of years, and each project truly deserves its own special place, even though they are all together on the main page of this site.

The nitty gritty: I completed the Humanities Honors Program at U.C. Irvine and earned my MFA in Creative Writing and MA in English from Chapman University. I’m a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author, who has been short-listed for awards. I wrote the curricula for multiple subjects and grade levels, and I taught and honed that curricula for twenty years. I’ve continued to tutor and mentor students, building confidence along with skill sets. Check out a few testimonials at the bottom of the main page. I take great joy in transmitting my passion for writing to others and in helping students achieve success.

My teaching journey began when my eldest daughter struggled with reading and writing in the fourth grade (she didn’t like math either). Her frustration grew along with her dislike of school; I remember the dreaded fear that she might fall through the cracks. I had returned to college and was accepted into the Humanities Honors Program at UC Irvine. I knew what lay ahead—if my daughter could reach college. I set up a tutoring program in reading, writing, and math. It worked! My daughter liked school again, and she ultimately earned a college degree in communications and marketing. Today, she’s an avid reader and a published author. It wasn’t just her skill sets that grew, it was her joy for learning and her confidence. She was my first success story as a teacher. My middle daughter earned her full IB diploma, and the third, who struggled in middle school (and was my second tutoring student) graduated from college Magna Cum Laude.

My original goal was to teach at the junior college level while I wrote novels on the side, but the experience with my own children shifted my focus to younger students—to the ones who needed help to conquer upper elementary, then middle school, and then high school—or they may not reach college. I still work with students, and I still enjoy every second of the journey!

I hope you enjoy the worlds I’ve created. Reach out anytime!