I've wanted to be a picture book author since my son and daughter were babies, but never went further than buying a book on how to write for children . . . and then never reading it. Wife, mother, and teacher. Writing took a backseat.
Twenty years went by and my son left for boot camp to become a Marine.
That shoved me out of my comfort zone and into the life of a military mom. My husband and I joined a Facebook parent group and there our fears, anxieties and pride found comfort and understanding with other moms and dads. Three months of no phone calls, texts, or seeing our son was challenging.
There in that group that I didn't want to be part of, I found stories. Stories that tore my shredded heart into smaller and smaller pieces. Stories that stitched my proud heart slowly, ever so slowly, back together.
And I started writing. Ugly crying at times and eyes shining with pride at others. I was writing a story to soothe my heart.
A story about a boy whose brother goes to boot camp.
A story that after many revisions won the SCBWI Marvelous Midwest Manuscript Contest in 2019.
It's currently under contract and slated to be my debut picture book, though it has not been officially announced.
The Detroit Writing Room Awards notified me that I was a finalist in the Children's Book category. I'm thrilled to say that 2857: THE STORY OF THE ROSA PARKS BUS won 2nd place at the ceremony held January 13, 2022.
This picture book features the historical object who tells its side of the story and goes beyond a momentous day we're all familiar with.
I also won an honorable mention from author Vivian Kirkfield in the #PBChat Mentorship Contest of 2020 for 2857.