At eight years old, I penned my first story in the back of a traveling eight-passenger van. The tragedies and injustices my family and I suffered screamed for an outlet. Praise God for His passionate pursuit of me, drawing this angry child into His loving arms. With a new season of creativity and spiritual rebirth, writing took a back seat for many years. Though poetry and short stories dotted the landscape of my youth, it was the birth of my first child that reignited the flame to write.

With a desire to leave a legacy of love, I eagerly seized the pen to encapsulate precious moments with my child. Immortalizing the joys, laughter, and milestones with my daughter satisfied something deep within. Moreover, incorporating God’s fingerprints and faithfulness throughout my parenting journey sparked a profound reawakening, preparing me for the next phase in my writing aspirations.

When my daughter was three years old, we undertook a six hour, nighttime drive. Without electronic devices, sunlight, and with my daughter too young to read, I became the primary source of entertainment. “Tell me a story,” she begged. I willingly obliged. It is here where the silly stories of Meet Mr. Caleb emerged. Laughter and giggles rewarded my efforts. “Again! Again!” my little girl cried. And, in the retelling of these humorous adventures of the barefoot, Jesus loving, modern-day hippie, a children’s book author birthed to life.

Authors Who Have Influenced Me:

As an avid reader while a child, I devoured books. From mysteries to classics, adventures to fantasies, and westerns to sci-fi, I loved them all. But perhaps the authors of greatest influence over me were the ones which drew me back time and time again. Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House on the Prairie books captured my imagination from childhood through adulthood. Her detailed description of life in the 1800s on the frontier painted vivid pictures in my imagination. L. M. Montgomery’s stories brought me hours of joy with her descriptive tales of strong female characters filled with whimsy and fun.

But perhaps the author who influenced me the most is Madeleine L’Engle. Her word pictures flowed seamlessly with compelling narratives, action, and faith. To me, Madeleine’s writings spun like sonnets. Most of all, her work wove faith in poignant and powerful ways which transformed me as both the reader and as a person.

Finally, Frank Peretti’s series, Piercing the Darkness, and This Present Darkness, profoundly impacted me. His action-movie writing style not only made me turn pages but transformed my understanding of the spiritual world. In addition, his books also expanded my view of Christian fiction. Up to this point, I had associated Christian fiction with romance or anticlimactic adventure. With Peretti’s novels, a new world of exciting Christian fiction awaited me.

Books I Have Written:

Feeling the Music

Meet Mr. Caleb

Sing Along with Mr. Caleb, children’s music album

God’s ABCs, Cornerstone Concept series

God’s Human Race, Cornerstone Concept series

The Wonder of Life, Cornerstone Concept series

Who Am I?, Cornerstone Concept series

What I'm Working On Now:

Amid my coauthor and I finalizing details on the next upcoming three books in the Cornerstone Concepts series for children, I am happy to announce that I am working on a new Children’s Chapter book series, Butterfly Parables. A tale of time-traveling butterflies who solve the mystery of Jesus’s parables in order to return home. These chapter books will be an exciting, fun, and educational read.

With a new venture into writing for juveniles and adults, I am excited to share that I am working on a novel which wrestles with the conflict between abortion and pro-life decisions. Unique in its characters and point of view, this novel will press home God’s deep love for all humankind. Also percolating is a 365-day parenting prayer devotional which uses Scripture as a prayer guide over our children. Designed to be a proactive approach to prayer over our little ones, this unique devotional mines the Word of God as the double-edged sword of the Spirit in prayer. Finally, I am seeking to finalize bringing the Meet Mr. Caleb series to life through publication.