Welcome to my new website!
I’ve put this step off for as long as I can. Exciting things are happening and it’s time I made an official home for myself on this crazy internet of things.
So come on in, make yourself at home, and get to know me a bit.
My Past Life
I’ve worked in marketing for five+ years—doing everything from social media and blogging, to SEO and event planning. It’s a fun and competitive field, the type of job where you can actually SEE the numbers. You can’t hide from the results, and there’s something exciting in that.
My entire work history has been in the small business sector (except for that retail job in college that I’d rather forget) and I wouldn’t change it!
There is so much room to grow, to test, to learn when you work for a small business. You’ve got to be scrappy, and I like that too.
But…in August of 2017, I took the plunge. I decided to focus more on my passion—writing.
My Current Life
A few months ago I switched to part-time. I’m still marketing for a small business here in St. Louis, but in a much more limited capacity. I’m still working from home, but I’m focusing more on what brings me joy than on what brings in the most money.
And every single morning, I wake up, grab my coffee, and sit down to write. Some days it’s harder than others (like when my pit mix, Cuzco, decides he’s a lap dog), but every single day it feels right.
See what I’m working on over here.
So I’m writing and I’m working, but I’m also doing something fun and scary and new. I’m working with the fabulous Heather Demetrios, Young Adult Author of both Contemporary and Fantasy, to build her online presence and promote her books. Check out which of our strategies work and which don’t in my my blog.
No matter what I do, I know why I do it…
Why I Write – My Artist Statement
“On the other side of your maximum fear are the best things in life.” – Will Smith
Fear is universal. It is the most primal and powerful of all emotions. The greater the choice we’re faced with, the greater the weight of fear, anxiety, and panic. It’s easy to forget the amazing things that can be found on the other side.
I write about characters in faraway places who are forced to face their greatest fears. It’s hard and it’s messy, but they come out all the stronger for it, their lives all the richer in experience, friendship, and love. That is what I want to remind young readers. Fear grounds us within our comfort zone, warning us away from taking a single step outside. But there is a great big world of possibilities waiting for each and everyone of us. It would be a sad use of this one life, to let fear dictate who and what we will become.
Because I was a very shy child, my mom forced me to try everything-Christmas plays, sports, and slumber parties. I cried and begged and fought the whole way, but then usually enjoyed myself. It taught me that taking chances and trying new things can result in new friends and great experiences.
I force my characters to go on that journey, to search for the world on the other side of their greatest fears.