MY STORY
A little about me…I grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia and discovered my love of books at an early age. I spent many happy Saturday afternoons in the local public library reading and learning about the world through books.
After graduation from Virginia State University, I married my college sweetheart, a newly commissioned Army Officer. His military assignments carried us to many exciting destinations and provided me the opportunity to live, work, and observe the cultures in places like Korea and Italy. After years of moving, we finally settled in the Washington, DC area.
I began to write children’s books because I like and truly value children. They hold the future of the world and it is tremendously important to me to write stories that will help children to be healthy, happy, well-adjusted, and intelligent; and that will entertain and inspire imaginations.
Why I wrote "Jamestown Tobacco Boy Dream of Freedom"
As an African American and native Virginian, I was thrilled to learn of the efforts to commemorate the arrival of a small group of Africans who came to Virginia in 1619, aboard a ship that docked in what is now Hampton Virginia.
Although there is some controversy among historians and researchers as to whether this 1619 group were actually the first Africans in the colonies; as an author of children’s books I see the commemoration as a tremendous opportunity to teach a little history and inspire imaginations while telling young readers a story that will give them a clear understanding of what it was like to be enslaved and how completely it engulfed the being. This story also gives positive messages about self-worth, human value, and friendship all important and enduring concepts.
