I don't know how far back you want to go, but how about we start at the beginning and then skip around some?
I was born on an Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington. My dad was career Air Force, and that made me a military brat. By the time I graduated high school, I had attended 11 schools.
Consequently, I am great at getting people to open up quickly and lousy at higher math.
After receiving a BA in government and a minor in women's studies from California State University, Sacramento, in 1988, I went on to work for some wonderful social justice organizations.
I spent 15 years serving the public relations and marketing needs of Women Escaping a Violent Environment, Inc., a domestic violence and rape crisis center in Sacramento; Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, in Milwaukee; and Community Action of Rock and Walworth Counties, an anti-poverty program in southern Wisconsin.
I also worked for five years as a features writer for a family-owned chain of newspapers in California's Central Valley.
Today, I work full-time as a special education teacher at Delavan-Darien High School. When I'm not in the classroom or spending time with my husband, Hank, a local middle school principal, and our grown children, I'm probably writing.
Why do I freelance when I have full-time work? The answer is simple: I love telling stories. I can't imagine ever giving up this life. This year, I'll file over 20 stories for newspapers and magazines throughout the country.
