A Passion for Middle Grade Novels...
I have been writing for children - specifically Middle Grade kids - for more than fourteen years. It all started quite by accident. I was researching for another piece of writing, and stumbled across a first hand account of the Great Fires of 1910. In that account, the town of Mullan, ID was frantically trying to save itself from complete destruction. There was a sentence: "The children stomped out fire brands with their boots." I was spellbound. There were children there! In the middle of massive destruction! Then my brain shifted. How would a child have described what happened? I've been hooked on writing middle grade fiction ever since.
My local writers group is lively, eclectic, and all masters of children's writing. I'm also a member of SCBWI. Over the years, my writing has grown and shifted, and grown some more. I love critiquing - analyzing and pulling out the best to be found. With each writing project - whether books or plays - I learn more about writing and about myself as a writer.
When I walk into a bookstore, I head straight to the Children's department, and find exactly where in the "J" section my books will be. Sometimes I even make a little gap.
Below are descriptions of my works to date, with more on the way.
My local writers group is lively, eclectic, and all masters of children's writing. I'm also a member of SCBWI. Over the years, my writing has grown and shifted, and grown some more. I love critiquing - analyzing and pulling out the best to be found. With each writing project - whether books or plays - I learn more about writing and about myself as a writer.
When I walk into a bookstore, I head straight to the Children's department, and find exactly where in the "J" section my books will be. Sometimes I even make a little gap.
Below are descriptions of my works to date, with more on the way.
Perfect
When twice-exceptional 6th grader Saloma Hammond joins the Weather Club to photograph snowflakes, she never expects to be accused of being the school tech thief. If she can’t break her patterns, and see herself in a new way, she could miss her chance to catch the real thief and learn what true friendship means.
Whisper Creek Drama Club - Book 1
In the first book of the 'Whisper Creek Drama Club Series', we meet each of the club members, learn how the club works, and follow along as they prepare their first production. Molly Sand, the new kid on the block, has to face her fears, solve a glamorous mystery, and direct the play. Included at the back of the book is the full production script of 'Lulu and the Knights of the Rectangle', the play the club is producing in the story. Watch for the forth-coming book trailer here!
To the Bones
In 'To The Bones', Harper Puckett set out on his own in 1881 Wyoming, and falls into the Bone Wars of early dinosaur hunters, becoming a spy and then a double spy for rival camps. If Harper doesn't figure out a way to dig himself out of the mess he's created, he may end up losing everything. This is a story about accepting choices and their consequences, set in the backdrop of the birth of modern paleontology.
Ruby's Sparks
In 'Ruby's Sparks', Emma spends a summer helping clean out her family's old homestead to sell, when she find her great-grandmother's hidden diary. In it, she reads a first hand account of the Great Fires of 1910, and Ruby's role in saving her town. She also reads about buried treasure. In alternating chapters, between Ruby and Emma, they work together to solve a hundred year old mystery, and find out what really matters.
The Healing Wood
After the suicide of his father, Peter struggles to survive both physically and emotionally in 1859 Sandusky, Ohio. With the help of a free-black woman named Eliza, his family becomes involved in the Underground Railroad. With danger all around, Peter must learn to be strong, not only for himself, but to ultimately save the ones he loves most.
