When other kids wanted to go to the toy store, I begged to go to the library. I loved the smell of the books, the calm of the cool, quiet room, and the way stories could transport me to new worlds.

I wrote stories of my own too, filling lined notebooks before eventually graduating to my family's first home computer...a terrifying black screen with a blinking cursor. Somewhere along the way, I stopped writing stories, but I never lost my love for reading.

After earning a degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Management Information Systems and a minor in Computer Science, I began a career in commercial insurance. But my most important title would come later: Mom.

Becoming a mother to my three boys changed me in all the best ways. For years, my focus was raising my family. Then, when my youngest was three years old, I slipped out to a yoga class for the first time. During savasana, I remember thinking, "Wow. I feel relaxed for the first time in a long time."

That class changed my life.

Yoga became an anchor for me, especially during the pandemic. With the help of incredible mentors, a lot of determination, and plenty of practice, I eventually earned my 200-hour yoga teacher certification and began teaching. Writing yoga classes reminded me of my love of creating.

But there was always a story waiting in the back of my mind.

When I was in seventh grade, I read Ray Bradbury's short story All Summer in a Day. It stuck with me for decades. Years later, my husband encouraged me to finally write the story I'd been carrying around in my head. I finally sat down at my computer and started typing.

A whole book poured out of me.

That book became Dawnbreaker, an NA dystopian sci-fi romance.

Today, when I'm not reading, writing, or teaching yoga, you'll find me spending time with my husband, our three boys, and our golden retriever, Cooper. I also love going to the beach, going to the local winery, and riding shotgun with my husband on the golf course.

My dream is to see Dawnbreaker sitting on a shelf at Barnes & Noble, where I used to spend hours hanging out as a reader. My hope is that my books make people feel something, the way my favorite books have made me feel.

Thanks for being here.