I'm an award-winning author of Children's/YA books and former journalist with a passion for stories about women whose courage and strength have helped shape our history. My work aims to shine a light into shadowy forgotten corners of history and encourage us all to use our voices for what we believe in.
Honors include the EUREKA! Children’s Book Award for Excellence in Nonfiction from the California Reading Association, Nomination for the Washington State Book Award, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon and the SPUR Award for Best Juvenile Fiction about the American West.
My books have been named on lists for the Notable Social Studies Books for Young People, Bank Street College Best Children's Books, NY Public Library Best Books for Teens and the Amelia Bloomer Project.
Honors include the EUREKA! Children’s Book Award for Excellence in Nonfiction from the California Reading Association, Nomination for the Washington State Book Award, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon and the SPUR Award for Best Juvenile Fiction about the American West.
My books have been named on lists for the Notable Social Studies Books for Young People, Bank Street College Best Children's Books, NY Public Library Best Books for Teens and the Amelia Bloomer Project.
This photo of a gate with nine bullet holes posed the question: How could a woman be shot to death in front of a crowd of witnesses, yet no one be convicted of the crime. Read the biography FANNIE NEVER FLINCHED.
Every one of my books has started with a discovery, the unexpected find of a historical person or persons that I judge to be so significant everyone should know their story. Often, I’m shocked it isn’t being taught in school. I get so excited about how and why they did what they did that shouting from the rooftops does not seem like a silly, threadbare cliché.
Often, books will take years to research, write and publish, but that is the work that intrigues me. It’s all part of my own search for meaning, my drive to understand how and why we humans do what we do. And more specifically, how we react when things go badly for us. How do we face obstacles that appear insurmountable? Where does strength come from amid the struggle?
In 1889, The federal government sent African American cavalry troops to round up 600 striking miners in a small Idaho town. Could this event under-lie racism in the region today? Read my historical novel FIRE IN THE HOLE.
What is the nature of courage and resilience, and how do we get them when we need them? Does the human heart contain the capacity to endure pain, suffering and evil and still beat with goodness and love? I don’t focus on heroes or saints. I cast my lot with everyday people who find themselves tested by circumstances beyond their control.
My first career choice was working as a radio and television news reporter. I loved that every day’s news was different, and that every day my assignments were over and done by the 5pm broadcast. The stories were rarely longer than two-and-a-half minutes. I enjoyed crafting words, sound and pictures into compelling pieces, and it was fulfilling to inform my local community.
In the years I worked in TV news, we didn't have cell phones to snap photos of everyday events. Here's a rare "selfie" when I was a newsbreak anchor on KXLY-TV in Spokane.
But what I loved most was the people I met, and the free reign to ask them questions. I interviewed people from every walk of life and learned something new nearly every day. Talking with business types or government officials could be boring, but most of the time I was interviewing everyday people at pivotal points in their lives. Exciting, happy times, sad and tragic times, time of conflict and anger, but oftentimes when they were working or playing at what they were passionate about. It was exhilarating.
In the newsroom I learned to write under pressure. In small market television you have time to learn and grow. If you’re intensely committed and work hard you’ll keep your job for the two or three years needed to become a fair writer. Over the ten years I worked in TV news my stories received numerous awards for excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists and two Emmy nominations.
I believed television news reporting would be my lifelong career. Until the laundry started piling up. The demands of raising three children and the intentional commitment my husband and I made to slow down our lives, and to live more simply, brought my television career to a close. While my children were growing up, I did some freelance writing part time over the years and got very used to setting my own schedule and picking my own topics.
In the newsroom I learned to write under pressure. In small market television you have time to learn and grow. If you’re intensely committed and work hard you’ll keep your job for the two or three years needed to become a fair writer. Over the ten years I worked in TV news my stories received numerous awards for excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists and two Emmy nominations.
I believed television news reporting would be my lifelong career. Until the laundry started piling up. The demands of raising three children and the intentional commitment my husband and I made to slow down our lives, and to live more simply, brought my television career to a close. While my children were growing up, I did some freelance writing part time over the years and got very used to setting my own schedule and picking my own topics.
Third Grade, Deming Elementary
I decided to write books for young people because kids are curious, they demand truth, and they deserve a hopeful ending. Also, because books gave me so much when I was growing up. Books fed my voracious curiosity and desire to learn. They gave me a place to go when I needed to escape and showed me understanding when I feared no one ever would. Books whet my appetite for narrative tension and drive and taught me the immeasurable pleasure and power of words.
One of my earliest memories is my dad reading to me and my sister, his arms around us, her on one knee and me the other. Dad reading books and poetry aloud to me and my sisters and brothers became a regular family routine. I don’t remember it much when I was high school. It's likely I was in my room reading my own book. My older sister and I read as much of the day as we could get away with and under our covers at night. We traded books and fought over books, always reading each other’s stack before they went back to the library. My mom hid our books to force us to get our chores done. She didn’t have as much time to read, taking care of a large family. She’d get started on a book and never have time to finish. Late night when her work was done, she’d read the last chapter to see how it ended.
One of my earliest memories is my dad reading to me and my sister, his arms around us, her on one knee and me the other. Dad reading books and poetry aloud to me and my sisters and brothers became a regular family routine. I don’t remember it much when I was high school. It's likely I was in my room reading my own book. My older sister and I read as much of the day as we could get away with and under our covers at night. We traded books and fought over books, always reading each other’s stack before they went back to the library. My mom hid our books to force us to get our chores done. She didn’t have as much time to read, taking care of a large family. She’d get started on a book and never have time to finish. Late night when her work was done, she’d read the last chapter to see how it ended.
I did a lot of typing on my first nonfiction book PURE GRIT. So happy to send this off! Yes. US mail.
And so, I have been a reader, writer and storyteller as long as I can remember. I started my own newspaper in elementary school, writing each copy by hand and passing them out to the neighbors. There wasn’t much news, so it folded rather quickly. But I got a lot of encouragement from my teachers for being a good writer. When my mother suggested I would grow up to be a novelist, I couldn't see it. To my mind a novelist would sit in a room alone, all day, every day and type. It seemed much too boring. After my children grew up, I realized I very much liked sitting in a room by myself typing. Or reading. Always hungry for information and understanding, always asking questions.
In fifth grade the teacher assigned my class our first research paper. It was to be three pages long. The teacher would approve our topic and note cards before we started to write. The topic I chose was: Why Do People Do the Things They Do? My teacher said the topic was too broad for the assignment, and he was right. I’m still trying to figure out the answer to that question after researching and writing eight books.
In fifth grade the teacher assigned my class our first research paper. It was to be three pages long. The teacher would approve our topic and note cards before we started to write. The topic I chose was: Why Do People Do the Things They Do? My teacher said the topic was too broad for the assignment, and he was right. I’m still trying to figure out the answer to that question after researching and writing eight books.
 Yes, I can still buck a bale.
Besides reading and writing, my favorite thing is chatting with friends at a coffee shop, enjoying a triple shot Americano with chocolate and an excellent croissant! [Prior to covid. :( Hope I can do this again soon!]
I’m also pursuing a dream I had as a child to join the circus! I work out at a circus gym and perform on aerial silks. Born a farm girl, I love my hands in the dirt, growing vegetables in my garden and preparing delicious food to enjoy with friends and family. I'd love to connect with you! Follow me on Facebook or Instagram and sign up to receive my weekly newsletter here. |
Raspberry Almond Braid
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