I am a retired educator, primarily a middle school librarian (the greatest job in the universe!), writing a series of nonfiction novelty books for middle grades. During my time as a school librarian, I loved to create technology-inspired, unforgettable learning experiences such as Chromadepth Poetry, Augmented Reality Book Hooks, curriculum-based escape rooms, QR code museums, and gamified library orientation activities. I was a two-time presenter at Schools of the Future, Hawaii’s premiere educational technology conference. My books, The Shirley Coombes’ Investigation Station series, build on the innovative library experiences that my students loved best. The books all include a variety of special effects glasses and objects that readers use to find hidden messages, solve puzzles, answer jokes and riddles, play around with words, and help Shirley solve her quests.

My motto as a librarian, a teacher, and an author is, “Language is my playground and words are my toys.”