As a kid, I had one goal: to be a real, true writer. That goal got me through a rough childhood. I was homeless at thirteen, locked up at fourteen, suicidal at fifteen. But I was too stubborn to die. Come hell or high water, I was going to be a writer.
It took decades to work up the chutzpah to pursue professional writing. My degrees are in education, American studies and education, because "writers don't make money." On the side, though, I kept that pen moving.
I taught secondary English for nearly two decades, waking up at 4:00 AM to work on a memoir. In 2013, that memoir got an agent. Then a publisher. Then a book deal. Then awards. It took me three decades, but I hit that goal.
Today I'm a writer on a mission, striving to help young adults understand and help themselves while educating adults about today's teens' realities. Every time I nab a new byline, my heart--which is still ten years old--explodes into glitter and sprinkles.