I was born in southern Illinois and am the youngest in my family. From an early age I found a great love for reading and dreamed of one day creating books that would capture the minds of young readers. I am an avid lover of all things paranormal, even though I admit I’m the first to duck and cover in a haunted house.

These are a few of my favorite things:

I love going to get frozen yogurt with my girls. We take our time choosing different flavors and adding different toppings. Every visit is a new adventure when the flavors are constantly changing. I don’t mind living in Illinois, unlike some of my friends. Winter is cold, no doubt about that, but I wouldn’t appreciate Spring and Summer nearly as much if I only had one constant season surrounding me all year round. Besides, some of my favorite memories were building snow forts with my own Mom when I was kid.

My favorite young adult series is definitely Harry Potter. When I was student teaching one of my students introduced me to his favorite author, J.K. Rowling. At the time, I picked up the first book just to see what he thought was so great about it. In a matter of hours, not only did I understand, but I was hooked. When each book came out, friends would find me unreachable. I would hole myself up in my room and have a non-stop read-athon. Speed read, much? Yes, yes I do!

My favorite color is purple, although I find myself highly attracted to bright blues, I think it’s because my daughter loves that color the most. She inspires me in every aspect of my life, so I think I’m slowly growing to love everything she loves too.