I’ve always been a voracious reader. Books were my constant companions growing up in a childhood full of love, hardship and lots of change. Later, as a mother, my own children practically devoured books from a very early age (we would take out as many books as we could on all 3 of our library cards), and one of my greatest joys was reading out loud to them. I’ve always loved the combination of great writing and beautiful and/or comical illustrations in children’s story books.

I’ve been a poet and a songwriter since I was 7 or 8, went on to become first a vocalist and musician in several rock/pop/funk/r & b ensembles in the 70’s and then a children’s entertainer when my children were growing up. The absolute pleasure I had (in spite of all the hard work, or, maybe partially because of it) creating my first CD (‘Too Much Work To Do’, nominated for Best Children’s Album of the Year at the 1998 West Coast Music Awards), is hard to describe.

I especially loved creating the different scenarios that comprised the thread winding its way through all the songs in the album. I even roped my kids and their friends and cousins into singing and being actor’s voices on the CD. The fact that I continued to find joy listening to it, again and again…. particularly the poem about the kitten that keeps wanting to go in the dryer… (I loved using the kitten voices that I got the chance to perfect in one of my earlier jobs working at a pet hospital), led me to decide to create a children’s book of my own one day.

Many years went by since that decision. Life led me down a different path – that of being a full-time music teacher in public education. I was lucky enough to find a job in a really great school with a supportive and dedicated staff and lots and lots of delightful, loving, and yet very challenging students. I really enjoy helping them discover and then nurturing the joy of learning music, which includes teaching as well as singing, playing musical games and, for me, pretending with, performing for and, now and then, reading to them.

Sometimes I think I’m one of the luckiest people alive and…sometimes I count the hours ‘til the end of the day and I can hardly wait until I retire! Those delightful little children can really wear a person out! There’s always just a little ‘too much work to do’.