I grew up in the tiny village of Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota. In this idyllic setting, I read books, climbed trees, and waded in the "crick" in the summertime. In the winter, I went ice skating and sledding--and read more books! I moved to the city of St. Paul to attend college, and fell in love with city living, too. I stayed in St. Paul for 25 years. After that I moved with my family to Bangor, Maine, and in 2011 moved to Oneonta, New York. I spent a decade in this friendly college town, and now that I'm back in St. Paul, I find I've left a piece of my heart in the Catskills!
I love to travel, and so far I've been to 37 states, 10 countries and the Virgin Islands. Some of my favorite things are my family, my two cats, chocolate, writing poetry, painting, and eating food that I didn't have to prepare myself!
Career Experience I have worked as a writer & editor, an artist & illustrator, a teacher, a bookseller, a costume designer, a jewelry maker, a store manager, and a few other things, too! I have an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) and a BA in Fine Art from Macalester College. I've taught creative writing, composition, and art classes at various colleges and centers in Minnesota and Maine, and I spent eight years teaching writing and literature at the SUNY Delhi and Oneonta campuses.
Currently, I focus on writing and editing. I edit for private clients and publishers, including 60 children's books for Clavis, Inc. You can visit my editing website at https://www.redbridgeeditorial.com/
I love being a member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI), where I can mingle with other writers and illustrators in the world of kid lit. I also frequently volunteer at art and literature events. I served on the board of the Community Arts Network of Oneonta (CANO) for five years and continued to run their monthly Writers Salon and art education program after that. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun!
In addition to my teaching and creative work, I was a children’s bookseller for ten years. I worked five years each at The Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, Minnesota, and at the Briar Patch Bookshop in Bangor, Maine. Please support independent book stores when you can!