Career

I have always been fascinated by the power of words and even tried inventing my own language for a time. When that didn't pan out, I earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from BYU and worked as a managing editor/art director of children’s books at a publishing house in Portland for several years. Eventually I continued my studies at Vermont College of Fine Arts, where I earned an M.F.A. in Creative Writing.

I've written eleven books and counting for children and adults, with an emphasis on frontier-era Women's History in both fiction and non-fiction. My work can be found in books, magazines, and newspapers. In 2016, "Frontier Grit," was nominated for the American Library Association's Amelia Bloomer award. The companion volume, Women of the Blue and Gray: Civil War Mothers, Medics, Soldiers, and Spies, was released in 2018 and was awarded a silver medal by Foreword Reviews. I am currently at work on a historical fiction novel about Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon for the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in 2020.

I've taught Creative Writing and Composition at Portland Community College, BYU Hawaii and I currently teach at Clatsop Community College in Astoria, Oregon. I speak regularly at writing conferences and lead an annual writing retreat. My two children, fortunately, are self-confessed logophiles as well. Thank you for being a reader, and I'd love to hear from you.