Bio
Born in New York, NY, I have always been a creative. As a child sprawled on my bedroom floor on rainy afternoons, I wrote dozens of pages of stories. I spent hours recreating art techniques I learned in school. As a teenager I attempted songwriting and guitar lessons, and sang on stage whenever someone let me. I bought the entire set of Bob Ross paints and products and painted my own canvases. But what I first set my professional sights on was music.
I love the way music speaks directly to our hearts and connects us to others who feel the same (just like a good book!). In music, I found both community and confidence. Even though creating music was no more than a hobby, just listening to music has always made me feel like I can do anything. And I wanted to change the world.
So as a bright-eyed 20-something-year-old, I discovered a few things as I worked my way around the music business: I wasn't a very good band manager. Reviewing concerts turned out to pay much less than selling advertising at a music magazine. Eventually, I knew something was missing: I wasn't creating positive change. So I started singing a different tune and attended Bank Street College to become a reading teacher. Uplifting children became my greatest goal, and I loved helping students feel empowered, as music has done for me.
Along the way, I fell deeply in love with another song: picture books. I started to realize that I've always been drawn to them. In college, I created homemade velvet-covered picture books for my loved ones (they truly are for all ages!). And when I needed just the right books for my own children to help them process their experiences, I wrote them myself, and my kids colored them in. It took a pandemic and a very supportive husband to help me realize that the song I was meant to sing was that of a writer.
Picture books, to me, are music. The words sing through rhythm, tone, and emotion, like lyrics complemented by harmonic illustrations. I shape my stories to speak to children like music, melodies that show them they can do anything.
I am on a never-ending journey to improve my craft and to connect with a community of others like me. And what I discover day in and day out is this: being on this journey lifts me up like a symphony. I flourished as a 2023 PB Rising Stars mentee, and I am thrilled to have been chosen (twice!) as a recipient for a 12x12 Picture Book Challenge Silver Diversity Scholarship, so I can continue to learn, grow and connect with this amazing collective of creators. I am also an active member of SCBWI, a graduate of Children’s Book Academy, an occasional proofreader for my local LI SCBWI chapter newsletter, and here in Port Washington, NY, a local Story Time host.
I hope to spread the spirit of joy, empathy and belonging to readers everywhere, and to empower children to follow their own tune.
Inspiration
I'm inspired by exceptional children's literature.
These are some of my absolute favorite books (click to purchase):
Bio
Born in New York, NY, I have always been a creative. As a child sprawled on my bedroom floor on rainy afternoons, I wrote dozens of pages of stories. I spent hours recreating art techniques I learned in school. As a teenager I attempted songwriting and guitar lessons, and sang on stage whenever someone let me. I bought the entire set of Bob Ross paints and products and painted my own canvases. But what I first set my professional sights on was music.
I love the way music speaks directly to our hearts and connects us to others who feel the same (just like a good book!). In music, I found both community and confidence. Even though creating music was no more than a hobby, just listening to music has always made me feel like I can do anything. And I wanted to change the world.
So as a bright-eyed 20-something-year-old, I discovered a few things as I worked my way around the music business: I wasn't a very good band manager. Reviewing concerts turned out to pay much less than selling advertising at a music magazine. Eventually, I knew something was missing: I wasn't creating positive change. So I started singing a different tune and attended Bank Street College to become a reading teacher. Uplifting children became my greatest goal, and I loved helping students feel empowered, as music has done for me.
Along the way, I fell deeply in love with another song: picture books. I started to realize that I've always been drawn to them. In college, I created homemade velvet-covered picture books for my loved ones (they truly are for all ages!). And when I needed just the right books for my own children to help them process their experiences, I wrote them myself, and my kids colored them in. It took a pandemic and a very supportive husband to help me realize that the song I was meant to sing was that of a writer.
Picture books, to me, are music. The words sing through rhythm, tone, and emotion, like lyrics complemented by harmonic illustrations. I shape my stories to speak to children like music, melodies that show them they can do anything.
I am on a never-ending journey to improve my craft and to connect with a community of others like me. And what I discover day in and day out is this: being on this journey lifts me up like a symphony. I flourished as a 2023 PB Rising Stars mentee, and I am thrilled to have been chosen (twice!) as a recipient for a 12x12 Picture Book Challenge Silver Diversity Scholarship, so I can continue to learn, grow and connect with this amazing collective of creators. I am also an active member of SCBWI, a graduate of Children’s Book Academy, an occasional proofreader for my local LI SCBWI chapter newsletter, and here in Port Washington, NY, a local Story Time host.
I hope to spread the spirit of joy, empathy and belonging to readers everywhere, and to empower children to follow their own tune.
Inspiration
I'm inspired by exceptional children's literature.
These are some of my absolute favorite books (click to purchase):
