Once upon a time, I was a pastry chef, and before that I worked in an office, crunching numbers. Writing and illustrating children’s books are by far the best jobs I’ve ever had (well, that is, after being a mom). I fell in love with picture books after reading so many to my children. Then I took some classes at MassArt and tried my hand at making one myself. I got my first job illustrating a poem for Click magazine in 2001. Two years later my first picture book was published. Since then, I’ve made a lot more.
I live with my husband, and French bulldog, Louie, in a small town just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. My 
three girls are all grown up now, and busy following their own dreams but when they were little, they gave me endless ideas for stories and even modeled for me sometimes. When I’m not making picture books, I can usually be found walking, playing, or snuggling with Louie or dog sitting for my friends’ pups. I rely on my love for dogs, other animals, new interests, and the unexpected surprises of daily life to inspire book ideas. I don’t have a particular illustration style . . . I experiment with different media, and I let the story dictate the look and feel of the book. I’ve used digital illustration to create my last few books and find the possibilities it offers endless.
Making children’s books has been a terrific journey with ups and downs and many twists and turns. But one thing has remained the same throughout the years. . . every morning, before I start working, I eat one giant malted milk ball (I tell myself it makes me more creative).
