Hello!
My love of books for children far outlived my childhood. The book case in my living room holds a collection that spans almost a hundred years: My favorite picture books present and past, my chapter books from the ’80s (like all of my Judy Blume books, and looking at you Ramona and Beezus), the original set of Nancy Drew from the ’30s, to today’s YA.
I earned an MFA in Literature from American University and an MA in Liberal Arts from the University of Pennsylvania, focusing both on children’s literature.
Through grad school I worked as a cookie decorator and took a long detour away from children’s literature. (Name any object, and I have drawn it in frosting.) My first cookbook, COOKIE SENSATIONS, inspired my food blog, all about edible art, and theDecoratedCookie.com has been going strong for 15 years. My second cookbook, SUGARLICIOUS covers all things in food craft.
Once COVID hit, I made my return to kid lit and binged-learned the picture book craft. I’m now seeking a literary agent while my manuscripts pile up.
More things:
- I live in Washington DC, and have since I came here to go to Georgetown.
- I have two daughters, one dog, two cats, and one fish.
- I spent a summer studying English Literature at Oxford University as part of my masters.
- I don’t have a large intestine (complications of ulcerative colitis) and I had a third of my lung removed (thanks auto-immune disease!)
- Mac and cheese, wine, and gin are my jam.
- (I, ahem, don’t really have a sweet tooth.)