Q: First tell us something about yourself.
I taught middle school math for 10 years before becoming a stay at home mom. I Have a Bachelor’s degree in math education and a Masters degree in Education. Educating children is my passion. I have worked with a range of children and love helping them discover their true potential.
Q: How and when did your journey start as a writer?
I have always been an avid reader and I know how important reading is to children’s development, so I started reading to my children from the beginning. They have grown into little book lovers themselves. Through the countless books we read together, I was continually inspired to write a children’s book myself. After being a stay at home mom for 3 years, I wanted to get back into the working world. Praying about what that would look like, I continued to get inspired to write a children’s book. Two years ago I decided to go for it and write my first book. I knew I wanted to publish the book myself, so my husband and I started MamaBear Books, a publishing company specializing in children’s books. Since then we have published the first two books in my series, The Day I Had a Bulldozer and The Day I Had a Dinosaur, as well as an activity book, The Day I Had an Activity Book. The third book, The Day I Had a Fire Truck will be out in the Spring of 2025. We have also been fortunate to work with amazing authors in the publication of their books as well.
Q: When did you write your first story? Is it published or not?
September of 2022 is when I wrote, The Day I Had a Bulldozer, which actually started out as If I Had a Bulldozer. Through working with amazing editors, Brooke Vitale and Jennifer Rees, we honed the story and brought it to life, creating, The Day I Had a Bulldozer. The first book in the series.The Day I Had a Bulldozer was published in September 2023 and The Day I Had a Dinosaur was published in the summer of 2024.
Q: Tell us something more about your books?
The goal of my books is to create a love of reading in children. Reading is imperative to the cognitive development in children, so growing a love for reading is vital in their learning. I wanted to write a story that would encourage imagination, make kids smile/laugh, and bring them joy while they read. This group of four friends are diverse, kind, and love adventures.
Q: How did these stories and characters come to your mind?
When I decided to write a children’s book I spent hours writing and brainstorming different ideas. With the inspiration of my own kid’s huge imaginations, I thought, how cool would it be if their toys came to life one day. From there I started to write. I wrote and wrote and wrote, edited and wrote some more. I wanted to have a fun story that still taught some key values like kindness and friendship, that really helped kids explore their imaginations. In the beginning, there were two additional characters and vehicles for the first book. After working with my editors, we decided 4 characters would be the right fit for the series. Once the manuscript was set, I found the most amazing illustrator, Vaughan Duck. Working with him on this series has been amazing. He helped to mold the characters and brought the story to life.
Q: Do you want to leave any message for your readers?
Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey. I am glad you are here and would love to connect with you on social media.
