Ever since I was little, even before I could write, I’ve known what I wanted to do with my life – write children’s books. It just seemed so natural and right. I have always loved to read and daydream, why not work with stories for a living?

The most influential books I read as a kid (and often reread as an adult) were The American Girls Collection books. Meet Kirsten was a gift from my Grandma Joe when I was six, and as far as I remember it was the first time I’d read historical fiction. It was love at first read, since I’m also fascinated by what happened before I was born. But more than that, the girls in the stories were all strong, kind, resourceful, spunky and independent. I wanted to be just like them!

While I don’t stick to just one genre when I write, all my stories do have one thing in common. They’re all entertaining, emotional books with strong, independent, self-confident young characters. Because life can be tough and I don’t believe you can have too many good role models.