Even before I learned to read and write, I was a storyteller. I begged my grandmother to read me the same picture books over and over until she had to “go rest her eyes.” Then, I’d flip through the books on my own and make up new stories to go with the pictures.

After my second grade teacher read Junie B. Jones out loud to my class, I declared that I was going to be an author-illustrator just like Barbara Park. From then on, I was pretty much always reading, writing, or drawing.

In January 2021, the beginning of the second pandemic year, I was feeling stuck. Although I’d been writing YA for years, my one “complete” novel wasn’t getting any traction from agents or editors, and I was struggling to write anything else remotely resembling a “good” novel. I had been teaching high school history for nearly a decade, and all of the confidence I had gained in my skills as a teacher came crashing back to earth as I tried – and failed – at the extremely draining work of teaching teenagers over zoom.

It was at my most stuck moment that I serendipitously learned about Author Accelerator’s Book Coach Certification Program. Book coaching has been exactly the boost I needed for writing, teaching…and life in general!

I have spent the past decade as a writing tutor and high school history teacher. I love helping teenagers find their voice and discover the world around them. Coaching YA authors is the perfect marriage between my love of story, my passion for teaching, and my firm belief that all teens deserve to see themselves represented in great books!