My early, more primitive sketches started showing up on the backs of business cards and notepads from my dad's store. Later on, I was doodling on the sides of my homework and notebooks for school. I always had a pen in my hand and I was always finding something to draw.

Doodling takes me to a place where time passes differently. I lose track of time and space. Nothing exists except the drawing and the pens. My mind is free to roam and gallop. Sometimes a story develops about the characters as they emerge on the page. As I draw, I like to jot down the details of the developing story on scratch paper at my desk. I believe I work differently from other writers. As an illustrator / writer, it is not uncommon to have the pictures in a storyboard long before the text is written. I enjoy seeing the story first, this helps me write.

I graduated from Concordia University, in Seward, Nebraska with a BFA in Commercial Art and Illustration. After I moved back to Colorado, I started my own business. I designed for my personal clients at the same time as I served different companies as their in-house pre-press designer. There were many times in these positions that I was able to make small contributions as an illustrator. With all of the experience I had designing, I never felt like I was completely whole. There was something missing. I found myself yearning to illustrate on a full time basis.

After my daughter was born, I decided that I needed to put my illustrations in front of publishers. In December 2006, my first project presented itself. I was guaranteed publication. My heart soared as I took the project and spun a web of beauty! For the first time in my life, I felt like I was in my niche. Life was golden! Of course, there were tight deadlines and other business related issues, but the illustrator lifestyle felt perfect. Later in 2007, Talking About Jesus was published and selling. We received so many great comments about the illustrations and how the brightly colored pictures made the stories come alive.

Almost every experience I have ever had has prepared me for my profession as a business owner and a Children's Book Writer and Illustrator.