I am a former English teacher, with twelve years’ experience at the elementary and secondary levels.  In the classroom, I emphasized creative fiction and non-fiction writing, including editing, revising, and grammar skills.

    I have published two novels and numerous articles, poems, and short stories in local, regional, and national markets  (see attached publication list).  I have completed three other novels, a short story collection, and three screenplays, all of which are in search of an agent/publisher.  I’m currently working on a cookbook/memoir and several other projects.

EDUCATION

1966-1969 BA in English and Speech from University of Northern Colorado
1983- 2002 Continuing accreditation classes from various universities for licensure 
 
EMPLOYMENT                                                                                                                                                                       

1999-Present  Weeks Literary Service
I line edit, copy edit, and provide detailed critiques of manuscripts.  I ghost write and do work-for-hire pieces, as well as submit my own work to magazines, newspapers, publishers, and producers. I proofread court transcripts from the City and County of San Francisco, and I also mentor writers who are just starting on their creative paths.
                                                                                       
1999-2007 Columnist/copy editor/proofreader, Things To Do magazine.  I interviewed guests for the “Spotlight on Small Business “column, wrote “Notes on Newcomers” and “Meet Your Neighbor”,  and corrected the galleys before publication.

 2000-2001 Classroom teacher, Mesa County Valley School District.
   I taught at Valley School East, an alternative school, on a temporary assignment.  I was in charge of the individualized English/Language Arts competency-based program for 6th -12th graders.   I helped students achieve proficiency in reading , as well as in writing essays and research papers.  The writing segment included revising and editing, with emphasis on correct spelling, grammar, and organization.

1994-1997  Owner and operator of Custom Caster Fly Shop, Lead, SD.  I built custom fly and spinning rods, tied thousands of flies, and guided anglers on blue ribbon trout streams in the Black Hills.  I taught flyfishing clinics, with emphasis on women's groups. 

1997-1998 West End Public Schools, Naturita, CO. I taught 7th and 8th grade English, coached the Knowledge Bowl team, and sponsored the school dances.

1983-1990 Classroom teacher, Lead-Deadwood School District.
I worked at several grade levels in departmentalized, self-contained, and alternative settings.  My 5th and 6th grade students wrote and published books and wrote seasonal plays to present to the student body.  My 7th and 8th graders wrote both fiction and non-fiction.  The alternative students created weekly essays and short stories as a requirement for pass privileges.

Now I’d like to tell you about  some other “careers” I’ve had.  For three years, I owned and operated Custom Caster, a fly fishing shop in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  I tied thousands of flies, built custom fly and spinning rods, guided anglers, taught workshops, kept the books, ordered inventory, and cleaned the john.  

I am a founding member of Outdoor Women of South Dakota, a state women’s organization loosely patterned on Becoming an Outdoorswoman, a national program for educating women in outdoor skills.  I taught BOW classes in campfire cooking, fly casting techniques, and fly tying for several years.  I also taught  an outdoor cooking class to the Recreation students and staff of Black Hills State University.

I worked as a secretary, receptionist, surgical ward secretary, and directory assistance operator.  I also spent time as a heavy equipment operator and a sawyer  in a pipe insulation factory.  
I’ve tended bar, waited tables, cleaned motel rooms (yuck!), and managed the front desk for a private resort hotel in California.  I’ve matted and framed artwork, (including a signed Picasso print!) and designed the brochures and business cards for my businesses.

I played guitar and sang country, folk, and oldies music, in venues from four-star restaurants to dives I'd be afraid to drink in.  I’ve traveled widely and lived enthusiastically, and I bring these experiences to my writing.  I look forward to every day, every adventure, that life holds.