Disclaimer: It feels weird and unnatural for me to talk about something other than my kids, my job or my current project, so I wrote this trying to imagine we’ve just met at a party …
I teach high school and college English to the best darn bunch of seniors at Freedom High School. My family (3 sons--1 in college, 2 in high school, 1 husband, 2 stray cats we took in and named Rose and Thorn) lives on 60 acres by Duck Creek where we’ve restored acres of native prairie and woodland because we love nature. In my spare time I write novels. Some people scrapbook, some people sew, I invent characters and plots. My first two books are romantic comedies. The Bassville series (Across the River, On the River, and In the Channel available in 2020) is loosely based on my experiences bartending in Fremont, WI. I was once a Wolf River Rat of the highest order and behind the bar I heard a lot of stories that begged for a wider audience. If you’re familiar with the Wolf River, you’d love my books. My nonfiction work includes publication in Teaching Writing in High School and College and Writing in a Changing World.
When I’m not grading student papers, grubbing around in the garden, writing or reading, I’m also an editor. I’ve presented at workshops and conferences, including the Fox Cities Book Festival and UntitledTown. I volunteer at my church, get bleacher butt at my sons’ sporting events and buy the eco-friendly cleaning supplies. I like dark beer, traveling and being outside. Recently I swapped classrooms so I could get a room with a window.
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My writing career was assisted by meeting 4 other women at the University of Iowa’s Summer Writing Festival in 2004. We launched our own writing group (the Screw Iowa Writers Workshop) and meet annually for critique and encouragement. These soul sisters, Marni Graff, Lauren Small, Mariana Damon and Nina Romano, deserve credit for my success as an author. Getting feedback from other writers, teaching writing and reading all the time has helped me become a better writer.
At this point in the conversation I will feel super awkward and steer the conversation towards books, but this website is about me, so let me tell you about my books.
