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About Me I grew up in Los Altos, California and graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Latin American Studies. I earned a Master’s degree in Education and another MA in Educational Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University. From 1983 to 2013, I worked in public schools throughout California as a high school teacher, administrator, teacher trainer, grant writer and educational entrepreneur, helping to found three education companies and a public charter school.
Since that time, I have focused on creativity and writing, reporting for a bilingual, regional Costa Rican newspaper and publishing my first work of fiction, Fertile Soil: Stories of the California Dream, in 2016. I published my debut novel, In This Land of Plenty, in July of 2020. In March, 2022, I published the first book in my bilingual children's picture book series, Tropical Tales, Felipe the Frog Learns to Swim: La rana Felipe aprende a nadar. The second book is on it's way and should come out in October, 2022!! I divide my time between Costa Rica's Pacific Coast, where I live with my husband and two big dogs, and the Monterey Peninsula, California. Costa Rica inspired the children's series which features jungle and ocean animals only. No humans! Each story stars one animal who experiences a challenge that young children might face. |
Current Projects
In addition to continuing the story of the Castro/Brennan family through the Gold Rush and into the 20th century for a sequel to In This Land of Plenty, I am continuing the children's book series featuring tropical jungle and ocean animals.
I love to be a creativity cheerleader for friends in the arts, particularly those writing books, and assist as a content and copy editor when needed. I serve as a board member and a key strategic planner for a local library, Biblioteca Kitson, in Nosara, Costa Rica. In that same community, I support the admirable efforts of Guardianes de la Naturaleza, an environmental education initiative which includes children's books, curriculum materials, teacher training and hands on student projects such as school gardens, composting, recycling and community clean ups. When in California, I volunteer at the MEarth Habitat garden supporting their environmental education efforts and cultivating fresh produce for the Monterey County Food Bank.
In addition to writing and supporting my friends' creative endeavors and volunteering, I enjoy tennis, running, hiking, mountain biking, observing nature and photographing it, reading, interacting with friends and family. And I love hanging out with my dogs, Duke and Zoe.
