As a child, I loved to write.

I would trace the outline of my hand, add an eyeball, gobbler and webbed feet. "Turkey" became my first leading man (er, poultry) and his stories were very basic. "Turkey eats cookie." "Turkey likes Santa." "Turkey goes potty." Turkey was a limited character in that he always faced the same direction and had no friends. I loved to write. I didn’t love to draw.

I grew up in Idaho, which usually prompts people to ask whether I like potatoes or am a good skier. (Yes, and No.) I skipped the mountains and spent time at ballet and gymnastics studios instead. When I wasn't en pointe, I was on page – either with my nose in a book, or writing bad stories and even worse poetry. Luckily though, a little positivity goes a long way. I had some pretty rocking English teachers who endured my high school haiku and encouraged me to keep trying.

Fast forward a decade: I attended Villanova University, moved to NYC, rode the internet boom all the way up…and all the way down, got married, and settled into a fabulous career in magazine publishing. A few years later, after the birth of my first son, I left kicking and screaming for the suburbs. Stuck in the house in the dead of winter with one eye on the baby monitor, and the other on a box of Mallowmars, I decided to dust off my imagination and work on a novel.

And the thing is, I found that I still really love to write. I love manipulating words, finding connections where only a blank piece of paper existed before. My first novel, The Tsar's Golden Slippers, is a middle grade mystery inspired by Russian history, New York City and ballet. It’s currently out on submission. Its sequel, The Tiffany Conspiracy, imagines a mysterious theft of a necklace from the iconic movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

A third mystery, a chick-lit novel and a picture book are in the works and a bajillion more ideas are scribbled on ATM receipts, jammed in the crevices of my handbag. I love to think that each one of those scribbles could be the beginning of a great story. It’s what excites me most about writing.