FAQ
What’s your favorite color?
Turquoise! I’ve been really feelin’ the turquoise/orange combo lately.
What’s your favorite food?
Soul food and Thai food. I’m also in love with chocolate.
Do you really have FIVE kids?
Yes, I really do! Three girls and two boys. Writing-wise, they slow me down AND keep me going!
Where do you live?
Southwest Michigan. I was born in Detroit, MI and grew up in Berrien Springs, MI. I’ve also lived in Alabama, Florida, and Minnesota.
What kind of books do you write?
I write for children and young adults, which means I write picture books, middle grade novels, and young adult novels.
Do you have any published books?
Yes! I have a short story published in Flying Lessons and Other Stories. It’s called The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isaiah Dunn. I loved Isaiah so much, I wrote a follow up novel, Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero. My first picture book, The Electric Slide and Kai, came out in March 2021 and is illustrated by the amazing Darnell Johnson. You'll get to meet Xavier Moon in The Swag Is In The Socks in November 2021, and an Isaiah Dunn sequel is coming your way in 2022!
Where do you get inspiration to write?
I absolutely love being a writer because I can get inspiration from EVERYWHERE! It could be someone’s name, a certain city, a food item, a sport, or any experience. I’m most inspired by young people, who I’m around all day, every day.
Do you write full-time?
As of September 30, 2022…YES I DO! I am officially living a lifelong dream! Although…being a mother of five is my lifelong fulltime job, too!
How do you find time to write?
I have no idea. Honestly.
Ummmm, you’re really not going to answer that question?
You didn’t like my honesty? Okay, maybe this will sound better…I write on the outskirts of life. That means in the morning before the kids wake up, at night when I am exhausted and about to pass out, when I’m at gymnastic practice or soccer practice or stuck in a pick-up line, while waiting for spaghetti noodles to boil, while in the bathroom (yup, I said it!), while in the middle of absolute chaos! I’ve conditioned myself to write in crazy situations, so much so, that I sometimes struggle to write in silence. Is that a better answer?
Yes, it is. You’re Beast Mode.
I know. I learned from the best.
Who’s the best?
Glad you asked! Kobe Bryant has meant so much to me over the years. I apply his Mamba Mentality to my life and my writing. There have been so many times when I wanted to give up on something, or just watch TV instead of writing. In those moments, I think of Kobe and how he approached basketball in an obsessive, passionate, relentless, resilient, and fearless manner. (Those are the 5 pillars of the Mamba Mentality, by the way).
Who are your favorite authors?
Mildred D. Taylor, Walter Dean Myers, Sonya Sones, Meg Medina, Matt de la Pena, Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, Elizabeth Acevedo etc. etc. etc.
Do you do school visits?
Yes! I conduct both in-person and virtual visits.
What are your hobbies?
Other than writing, I love reading, sports, traveling, eating out, coloring, watching movies, lighting scented candles, listening to music, grilling, and spending time with my family and friends.