About Me

I grew up in a suburb north of Chicago with my mom, brother and sisters, Rick, Mindy and my twin, Julie (I'm 2nd from the right).  I loved to play outside and ride bikes with my sisters and friends.  I knew I wanted to be a teacher since I was in 3rd grade and when I was in high school, I decided to become a teacher of the deaf.

I went to MacMurray college, in Jacksonville, IL and when I graduated, I got a job teaching deaf and hard of hearing students at Waukegan West High School.  I stopped teaching after ten years so I could stay home with my two sons, Sean and Brian.  That's when I decided to write picture books for children.  After six years at home (and not a single published book), I went back to work.  This time, I was a Hearing Itinerant Teacher with the Special Education District of Lake County - SEDOL.  After about ten years, I started writing again and finally sold my first picture book, 1 Zany Zoo.