Austin SCBWI

I’m a native Texan, a mom of two boys, and I live and write in the Hill Country outside Austin, Texas with my Scottish husband. We also have dogs, chickens, fish, and (depending on what my youngest son finds in the creek) an assortment of pet crayfish, scorpions, and other creepy-crawlies.

I primarily write Middle Grade novel-length fiction, and I’m represented by Suzie Townsend at Fineprint Literary Management. I’ve sold short children’s fiction to Boy’s Life, Pockets, Literature4Kids, and Storysomething. I’ve also published personal essays, puppet plays, articles, poems, and adult/YA short stories. My debut novel, THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY, pitched as Coraline meets Hansel and Gretel, will be published by Razorbill (Penguin) in Summer 2012. They also bought another middle-grade novel for publication in Summer 2013.

I have a BA in French and an MA in English (Fiction Writing), both from the University of Texas at Austin. I’ve won a few contests, including the 2009 Writer’s League of Texas Manuscript Contest and the 1998 John Graves Writing Competition. I am a former bookstore employee, Music and Gifted/Talented teacher, and Director of Family Ministries. I have extensive public speaking experience, and love to present to large groups of kids AND adults!