BACKGROUND:
My grandmother taught me to read and write before I entered Kindergarten at 4. On Sunday afternoons, I would sit at her feet while she sat in her rocker and she would read me the classics: Little Women, The Bobsey Twins, Nancy Drew and more. She always read the stories as if she were all of the characters, and she never minded my curious questions. I daresay she probably fueled them.
In high school we read The Hobbit in my senior year and had to do a project based on the book. I was taking music theory at the time and decided to put my own music to all of the little songs Tolkien had scattered throughout it. I tried to give each its own flavor depending on whether it was dwarvish or Hobbitish or elvish. And thus began my endeavors to create my own world.
In college I studied English literature. While I read pieces from all of the time periods from the Old English sagas like Beowulf all the way to modern stories, I liked the 19th Century Victorian literature the best. My favorite author was Charles Dickens because he was so astute at capturing the details of human perspective, action and life.
And today, my favorite authors remain Dickens who is now accompanied by JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Sir Terry Prachet and JK Rowling.
EDUCATION:
A.A. Communications/Journalism from Broome Community College, Binghamton, NY
B.A. English Language and Literature, SUNY - Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY
M.A. Social Science (focus on ADHD, LD, TBI and cognitive processing) - Binghamton Unviersity, Binghamton, NY
M.A.(36 credit hours out of 40) English Literature - Binghamton Unviersity, Binghamton, NY
double focus:
- 19th Century Literature
- Teaching of College English courses
English (grammar)
College Writing
College Literature
Oral Communication
Diploma in Herbal Medicine with Merit - The Institute of Natural Healing, UK
