I had an inkling pretty early on that someday I might become a writer. As a child, my favorite book series was Pippi Longstocking. I hated when the stories were over. When I sensed they were winding down, I'd come up with longer alternative endings. Sometimes they just stayed in my head, most times, I'd jot them down. I started writing more stories. Not just endings. They had beginnings and middles too.

 

When I was eight, I started a newsletter for the kids in my neighborhood featuring reports on ideal backyards for sledding, houses to avoid on Halloween (pencils, popcorn balls, RAISINS!), and which raspberry patches were surrounded by poison ivy. 

 

My sister and I wrote “Dear Prudence,” an advice-to-the-lovelorn column, for the school newspaper. Later, I wrote poetry I knew better than to tell anyone about (till now). After college, I got paid to write ads for everything from aspirin and moisturizer to sunscreen and deodorant. 

 

But it wasn’t until I began writing about little-known historical figures that I truly found my sweet spot.

 

I am the author of RENA GLICKMAN, QUEEN OF JUDO (illustrator Martina Peluso), and WONDERFUL HAIR: THE BEAUTY OF ANNIE MALONE (illustrator Felicia Marshall).

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Some of my stories appear in CRICKET magazine.