I’ve always been an artist -from the moment I picked up a crayon and drew on my parents apartment wall, they knew they needed to redirect my talents. My path took me from taking private painting lessons to studying at various schools in the Chicago area (Columbia College Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Palette and Chisel Academy). I graduated with a Film degree from Columbia College in Chicago (concentration in Computer Animation).

These days I work full time as a technical illustrator and then rush home to find time to illustrate on nights and weekends. Most of the time you’ll find me wrangling my two young boys and our family dog with my husband in the northern suburbs of Dallas.

I ❤️ SCBWI

I joined the SCBWI in 2013, while still living in the Midwest. I even attended my first conference “The Wild Wild Midwest” conference where I met many lovely people. My People.

Like me, they loved the art of telling a good story, and even better, they loved telling stories that children could laugh and learn from. Science, history, tall tales and books with dinosaurs that wore hats – that was all allowed and encouraged.

Like I said, my people.

As soon as I found myself in Texas I started attending local SCBWI events. It was great learning from all the authors and speakers they brought in. I eventually got so involved that in 2016 they asked me to become the North Texas Illustrator Coordinator, a role which I was honored (and slightly terrified) to take on. It was a great experience!

I encourage all those interested in writing or illustrating books for children and young adults to connect with their local chapter of the SCBWI for the camaraderie, learning opportunities, and connections to the publishing industry. North Texas SCBWI