I've written since I was seven years old. My fourth grade teacher wrote on my report card, "I hope your dream of becoming an author comes true." And now it has! I first published at 13, my first thriller came out when I was 39, and now I have 3 novels out with contracts for 3 more. I write everything from thrillers, sci-fi, YA, contemporary fiction, and am currently penning a true-crime book about a Columbia cop about to be re-tried for killing his gay lover. In high school, my favorite teachers were Ms. Street (now Hubbard) and Mrs. Breedlove. Both motivated me to write, to be creative, but to truly understand the craft and how to use it. I owe them a debt of gratitude... I taught 8/9th grade Reading Workshop in Columbia, MO, was once a KinderCare director, and am now an instructor at the University of Missouri while finishing my PhD (how crazy am I!). I spend endless hours on the computer not only writing books but obsessing over email, I serve on the boards of the Missouri Writers' Guild and Missouri Center for the Book. I'm a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, Cambridge's Who's Who Among Professionals, and a plethora of education organizations (MATE, NCTE, MWP, and other acronyms I can't think of). I love the St. Louis Cardinals, the KC Chiefs, the Mizzou Tigers, hanging by my pool, traveling, doing jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with friends over happy hour. I've been with the love of my life for 17 years and have two perfect fox terriers who'll never wreck the car or tell me they hate me (well, they've tried the latter, but I ignore the signs!) I'm a music nut, listening to everything from Nickelback and Martina McBride to the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. My favorite books right now are Ayn Rand's Fountainhead, Pat Conroy's Beach Music, Sue Monk Kidd's Secret Life of Bees, and Harry Potter. I'm a sucker for a good YA book, because Gail Giles Shattering Glass was the best book I read last year...

Dregs, my YA book, just won runner-up for the Walter Williams Major Work Award; Slipping, a psychological thriller, was MWG's Best Fiction runner-up in 2005; Dregs is being considered for a Gateway nomination, as well as with the ALA committee. Last year, I was named LDA of Missouri's Professional of the Year for my work with a teenage writer suffering from ADHD (and believe I have it myself). I've been the recipient of the Writer's Digest award for Best Feature Article, numerous MWG awards for articles about technology and education, and I've been awarded several scholarships at Mizzou to continue my PhD work.