As a teacher, humane educator, and author I find joy in all that I do.  Yup... joy is the right word for it. My motivations for my Young adult books, "The Purple Hat Gang".. "Olivia Twist ... a quest for the glass half-full" ... "The Light and Dark Side of Seventeen" ... were to bring to mind to the reader that even in the darkest of situations there is light - IF you look in the right places.  These are stories of happiness, sorrow, triumph, and tragedy... all the drama a teen knows of personally, and more. They learn that good decision making skills can make even a rough start a positive ending.  Even as adults, we can appreciate that! My other books are humane education based. "My Name is Henley: My life and times as a rescued dog" is the true story of my dear old sheepdog, and his tough beginning in life as a Lancaster Puppy Mill dog, through his own happily-ever-after living in a home with five rescued cats! It's written in Henley's voice and so children (and even adults) hear about how an animal views things in quite a different way.  Henley's story is used by BestFriends.org animal society to teach humane education to children. His story has also been listed as recommended curriculum-based service learning by The Jane Goodall Institute - for grades 4 through 12. The "Mookie" series revolves around our crazy tabby cat and his lessons in life that children can understand and use in their own lives.  "Mookie and the Rescued Cat" is one of the those books in the series and has been embraced by children everywhere!  My book, "A Date with a Beatle" is based on the true life story of a Beatlemaniac (yours truly) back in 1964 and her tenacious quest to meet my favorite Beatle, George Harrison. And I did!  But only after a very wild and exhausting series of events. Ah, the 60s.   So loved was this book, it has been translated into German (Eine Nacht mit George Harrison) and soon-to-be-released in Spanish as "Una CIta con un Beatle" !!! Because of "A Date with a Beatle" I was honored to be invited to Liverpool to be a guest speaker at The International Beatles Festival in 2011... and will return again in April 2013 for the UK send-off for the new book - "Once Upon a Time in Liverpool" !!! That book, 'Once Upon a Time in Liverpool' (illustrated by Internationally Famous Beatles Artist - Eric Cash)  has recevied amazing, totally rave reviews. We are so honored and so grateful.

The Philadelphia School Librarians Honoree of the year award, The Lions Club's Citizen of the Year award, The Pennsylvania Tri-State Librarians Book of Note award, The Edie Huggins, NBC "Huggins Hero" award honoring my books and their positivity on the children of Philadelphia.