Austin SCBWI

Debbie Gonzales

Writer, Teacher

http://www.debbiegonzales.com

Simple Saturday

I’m a lover of children, books, writing, and education. I am an author/educator who cares deeply for kids and their connection to the craft of writing.

I’ve been a teacher, a school administrator, an educational consultant, a curriculum designer, and a writing workshop instructor with an amazing Austin organization called Badgerdog Literary Publishing. I’ve even taught PBS’s Barney kids in a one-room off-set Montessori classroom. I’ve earned my MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Art in Writing for Children and Young Adults. I am currently serving as the Regional Advisor for the vibrant Austin SCBWI Chapter.

New Zealand’s Gilt Edge Publishing has published several of my early-readers. Currently I am working as a curriculum coordinator for Giltedge correlating their amazing products with American academic standards.

I’ve written several middle-grade novels. One is Alien All-Stars, a story about a boy’s angst between his loyalty to his bullying best friend or the tenacious girl next door. My current projects are historical fiction pieces set in the Pacific Northwest. Bear Mountain is a story about a young girl who, like her father, has the intuitive ability to heal horses. In Whistle Punk, a boy has journeyed to a rugged 1930′s logging camp to learn about the secrets surrounding his father’s mysterious and untimely death.

I also own a small business named DJ Operations and Services which is a unique solutions provider specializing in educational and training services and products. DJ Ops incorporates the passion for books, children, and writing with a solid track record in personal, professional, and academic excellence. As a freelance writer, I design Book Discussion Guides, Reading Group Guides, and Teacher Guides samples of which are posted on my website.

A series of Early-Readers with New Zealand’s Gilt Edge Publishing.

I have a three-legged dog named Tripod!