I teach young people how the arts can be used to stand up against injustice.

For me, the lives of children and teens are interesting - they are always changing. There's just so much to sort through. All of this makes for good plots and complex characters.

I teach young people how the arts can be used to stand up against injustice.

I have known I wanted to be a writer since I was seven-years-old. Seriously. In the second grade I wrote a 21-page story and handed it in to my teacher. She told my mother I was going to be a writer. Since then, I always kept a journal and wrote poetry, plays, stories.

In my writing I hope to have a balance between the good and bad, the hard and soft.

Picture books are more difficult for me because it is telling a huge story in the least amount of words.

I have a writing space in my apartment, but I prefer to write at coffee shops. When I'm stuck, I take a walk and spend time outside to clear my mind. I get inspired on these walks, often getting new ideas for stories and finding solutions to the problems that need to be fixed in the draft I am working on.