Since most bios are beyond boring and slightly narcissistic, I was hoping to find a creative yet humble way to make myself sound more exciting than I actually am. Like a limerick (as in, There once was a girl from Nantucket/Who wrote a bad bio, then chucked it). Or maybe even a haiku (as in, Desperate writer/pens a terrible bio/really bad idea). Here’s the problem: I’m not from Nantucket. I’m from Jacksonville, Florida. And I think I was absent on haiku day in English class. So that means you’re stuck reading the traditional kind of bio. Sorry. So, where did we leave off? Right. Jacksonville. I call it home, since I braved seventh through twelfth grades there (I think this is the part where I give a shout out to Episcopal High School). My family moved a lot when I was young, though, and I’ve called lots of cities home: Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Alexandria, Virginia; Wayne, Pennsylvania; and last, but not least, Jacksonville. I like to think that home is where your heart and soul, your dog, your laptop, your highest heels, and your most treasured books are. As an adult, I’ve lived in lots of cities, too: Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C., Jacksonville (again), Athens, Georgia, and Avignon, France. All lovely places. I don’t know where I’ll end up, but I’ll keep you posted. People often ask if I’ve always wanted to be a writer. The answer is yes. And no. I’ve always loved to write, but I haven’t always considered it as a career. In second grade, I really wanted to be an astronaut, mostly because I was fascinated with the giant cardboard cutout of astronaut Sally Ride in my classroom, and I really wanted my own giant cardboard cutout. Then I found out that astronauts are brilliant at science and math and have excellent vision. I’m the worst at science and math. Plus, I have vision somewhere in the neighborhood of 20/10,000. Yikes. I had other career dreams, too: glitzy Broadway star, cultural anthropologist, and for three weeks after the winter Olympics, sassy ice dancer. For one reason or another, those didn’t seem to be in the cards. But I have found two jobs that I absolutely love: writer and mental health therapist. I’m fascinated with peoples’ life stories, and my work as a writer allows me to create them, while my work as a therapist gives me the privilege of hearing those stories and honoring them. I went to graduate school to become a therapist, and have worked with kids, teenagers, families, and college students. Right now, though, I’m focusing on writing, and telling Kacey Simon’s story in HOW TO ROCK BRACES AND GLASSES. The book released on October 24th, and a Nickelodeon show based on the book, entitled HOW TO ROCK, will air in early 2012. A few more (hopefully interesting) things about me before I sign off: Yes, I did have braces and glasses in middle school, although whether I rocked them is… debatable. I have a wonderful family and a fab younger sister. I also have an insanely adorable dog, Dinah, who is a world-class snuggler but couldn’t catch a ball to save her life. I love big cities, singing out loud in the shower, smelly cheese, snow, and, of course, books. I also love learning new things. I recently started learning to play the guitar, but so far, I’m pretty terrible. So that’s my story so far. Here’s hoping there are many more exciting chapters to come. Happy reading, living, and rocking, mh
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