Introducing....Me!

Hi everyone! I am so honored to be one of the newest additions to the Downtown YA family. Since I am new around here, I thought I would tell you a little - or maybe a lot - about me!

The Basics - 

• I'm an educational psychologist by day, working with kids from preschool through high school. I'm trained as a school psychologist, and up until a few days ago that was my primary job. BUT...2012 brought with it a little promotion; so now I get to be involved with program development, training, and the formation of new services involving the support of mental health and behavior disordered children. I am so excited about this I can't stand it! Of course, my position doesn't start until my current position is filled, and I am on double duty a bit - but that is all fine. I am thrilled to be starting a new adventure with my "day job".  
• Addition to the day job, I am a wife (married 23 years last Nov.) and mother of 2 beautiful girls - my teen and my tween. And yes, they read and comment on many of my stories, offer reviews for my authors' blog and contribute to my Teen Talk Friday. 
• I' wear many hats like most moms - including taxi driver, study partner, cheerleader, fashion consultant, cook, confidant, etc, etc, etc
• I write both non-fiction and fiction. My debut YA Gothic romance series, The Requiem Series, comes out in Feb by Compass Press, with a special novella, DIES IRAE (Feb 22, 12) and the first full length novel, LACRIMOSA (Mar 21, 12).  I have two additional titles (Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students and 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids) on the shelves. Check out my blog or website for more information about any of my books, including some exciting new projects. 

My Loves - In addition to the things I have to do (see above), there are plenty of things I LIKE to do:

• I love to read and am part of the Bookanistas, a group of writers that blog only GOOD reviews of the books they love. The books I'm currently reading - Wolfsbane, the Secret of Spruce Knoll, and a few unpublished manuscripts. Of course, I have roughly 30 books in my every growing TBR pile. I'd better get reading!
• I love to cook, though I don't do it nearly enough. Thank goodness for husbands that like to cook.
• I love to write - though I will admit I get angsty with my writing at times.
• I love to garden, not that you can tell by the weeds covering my garden at the moment. Yea, I've learned there are only so many hours in the day.
• I love surfing, kickboxing, running, swimming, and hiking. I have not done any of these things in the past year for a variety of reasons. .

Some Things You May Not Know - 

• I used to work in fashion a LONG time ago.
• I used to model as a teen and new adult.
• I have three or four friends that I really only know online, and yes...they are closer to me than almost anyone else in my life. We talk...um...daily!
• I love to scuba dive, and dream of diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
• If I had more time, I would spend a lot more time at the beach. Just sayin....
• I recently lost a TON of weight...no really... A TON. I still have a bit to lose, but man does it feel good!

And...there you go - Me!

I will be blogging here at Downtown YA 2 times a month - on the 12th and the 26th, covering topics related to teens and writing. Who knows, maybe my very active teen group may even stop by to share a little of their wisdom!

Want to know anything else about me?? Just ask! And thank you again for welcoming me to the fold I am THRILLED to be part of this! OH! And be sure to hop on over to my author's blog tomorrow for some exciting news about my debut series. WOOT!

Your turn now... tell me something about you!