I'm a Northern California children's book author, freelance writer, and playwright. My first picture book, "Otto's Rainy Day", a Kids' Pick of the Lists selection, was published by Charlesbridge Publishing, and my picture book biography, "Cixi, The Dragon Empress" was released by Goosebottom Books in October 2011. "Sacajawea of the Shoshone", the amazing story of the Native American teenager who traveled the west with Lewis and Clark will hit bookshelves in October 2012. I have also published non-fiction articles in the children's magazines, Highlights for Children, Appleseeds, and Faces, and for adults in local and regional publications such as Mendocino Arts, Vibrant Life, and UnchARTed magazines. My ten-minute plays have been produced and performed in venues around Northern California--Ukiah, Santa Rosa, Guerneville--as well as in Los Angeles, and Sydney and Brisbane, Australia.I was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and grew up in Singapore and Hong Kong. I came to California in 1979 to attend Dominican College (now University) where I graduated with a B.A. in English Literature with a Writing Emphasis and a M.S. in Counseling Psychology. As a Social Worker, I worked primarily with emotionally disadvantaged children in group home and foster home settings, and with Child Protective Services. Since 2000, I have been busy raising three children and working on my writing when I find the time.I have written stories since I was 11 years old, and even though I'm interested in writing in a wide-range of genres and topics from picture books to plays, from travel and food writing to profiles, my heart has always been in writing for children.