I love stories — the way they stick and how they make me think. And feel. And learn. And grow. I also love design. Design pushes me to walk a tightrope between simplicity of form and complexity of function. I think picture books sit at such an exciting intersection of the two!

I grew up drawing and writing as a kid — mostly comics and poetry/songwriting. Then, after studying photography, printmaking, and Spanish in college, I went on to work in the commercial arts (teaching myself skills and learning others on the job). After years of building other people’s brands and helping them achieve their dreams, I realized it was time to start reaching for my own. So, I took a flying leap — pairing creative vision with the skills I had to write and illustrate my first picture book. I decided to launch a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to bring it to life. My first Kickstarter failed. My second did not. Amazingly, this passion project, LULU THE BEAVER, evolved into a multi-award-winning book and initiated the formation of Bunny Books. It’s been a wild ride full of ups and downs, and I couldn’t be more thankful.

My visual approach weaves in lettering, illustration, painting and printmaking — but each project I tackle is carefully built layer-by-layer through research, imagination, thoughtful questions and plenty of sketching. 

My husband, Kyle, and I call the Orlando area home — along with our three kids, and a blend of furry and scaly critters. Off the clock, you can find me corralling our kids, swimming, daydreaming at the beach, playing board games, helping out with high school kids at our church, attempting to walk our dogs — and generally creating things that I’m excited about.

And, if you want more backstory…

I grew up in metro Detroit, and edged my way into the design world working on (and later managing) the production team that churned out all of the Dodge Car marketing materials and the Mercedes Benz USA dealer magazine. Those Motor City years hard-wired into me a keen eye for detail and design consistency, and less-glamorous-for-an-artist (but super-important) skills — like managing deadlines and people. From there, I worked as a designer/art director at HoMedics working on branding and packaging development for their group of brands including PowerMat and products for Sharper Image and Black&Decker.

Over the last nine years, my self-named creative studio has had the joy of partnering with other creatives to see their dreams shift from “what if?” to reality. It’s been fantastic — businesses launching, ministries taking off, channels starting, plenty of merch, conferences created, and more.

My First Interview :) — Crazy Writer Chicks
My Journey of Self-Teaching, Learning on the Job, and Practicing — Lulu’s Kickstarter Campaign
Interview — Independent Book Publishers Association
”Being Yourself” — Review of Lulu the Beaver — Dad Suggests
Guest Post — Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers
Interview — Cover Lover Book Review

I’ve always loved animals. And bugs. I really wanted a box turtle and a chinchilla when I was little, but happily ended up with a painted turtle and a guinea pig named Drífus (yes, with an accent mark hahaha). Nowadays, we make up for pet uniqueness with sheer volume — two dogs, two cats, two bearded dragons, three snakes, and a tenth pet that I can’t mention (until after his story is out of the bag)!

As a kid, summer days were chock full of recreating my favorite characters (Pink Panther, Leonardo and Rafael, Uncle Scrooge, Lady and the Tramp…), and the Sunday Comics were a highlight of each week. My first characters were a doggie duo, and it was the 80s so I was proud of designing them with heart-shaped eyes. My grandpa made me that rug based on a picture I drew!