As a long-time feature magazine writer, I spent countless hours on my computer and phone; conducting interviews, doing research, pitching story ideas. It was only when I encountered a bit of downtime that I realized that my poodles were living a secret life; a life I had paid little attention to because of job and home demands; a life that was doggone funny. So, I did what any good wordsmith would do; I took out my pen and began to capture the adventures.It took a few years of stop-and-go writing and editing, some children's writing classes (I had only written non-fiction)and chats with teachers, librarians, book people and friends, but the perseverance and learning curve were well worth it. I can honestly say, I love what I do.In 2009, The Adventures of the Poodle Posse won a silver Mom's Choice Award in juvenile fiction, for excellence in family-friendly media. Through school visits, I made lots of new friends--both teachers and students who were enlisted to preview and help edit book #2 in the series, scheduled for release, fall 2009. When not on tour with the book, I teach summer writing camps at Temple University and take part in seminars on the publishing process.