I share my life with my husband, Chauncey, two step-sons, Kevin and Alex, six-year-old son, Brady, and our dog, Lucy. I have spent the last 20 years educating children. I began my career as a Kindergarten teacher. Since then I have taught almost every grade K-8th. I am currently leaving the classroom to be a Teacher Leader Program Coordinator for the Linn-Mar Community School District in Marion, Iowa. Teaching has given me a great deal of inspiration as a writer. Every day in the classroom provides ideas and loads of humorous stories. My other source of inspiration is my life experiences: some dating back to my youth, and others from my day to day living. I'm definitely a city girl now, even though I was born and raised in Riceville, Iowa. Growing up in a rural area really shaped my character. I am so grateful for the gifts of hard work, and responsibility that I learned from my childhood experiences.Words have always come easy for me and I have always been interested in books, writing, and reading. I began writing about fifteen years ago. After about fifty-four rejection letters, I decided to take a break. I gave up trying to get published, and packed my manuscripts away in a desk drawer. I kept writing down my ideas, but I got busy living my life. Suddenly I blinked and ten years had passed. In 2010, I decided to dust off my manuscripts and start submitting to publishers again! I dusted off all those rejection letters and read those again, too. Being published is a dream come true. I would not be here today if it weren't for many people along the way who helped me one step at a time.....It has been a long journey.For those of you still waiting to chase your dreams.... don't wait too long!