Since 1989 I've written picture books, contemporary novels and historical fiction. I've had over fifty titles published. Any gift I have is due to my parents who taught me to read and to the open doors of the Anacostia Public Library in Southeast Washington, D.C. Without the support of classroom teachers in the seven different elementary schools I attended, I would not have become a writer.

My stories are inspired by the richness and challenges of my own childhood: "Something Beautiful" celebrates a materially impoverished community rich in love; "The World of Daughter McGuire" follows the journey of a girl wrestling with ethnic identity; "Corey's Underground Railroad Diaries" chronicle a fictitious Black family's quest for freedom and a boy's burning desire for literacy.

"The Granddaughter Necklace," available in January 2013, draws its inspiration from family stories I've been collecting for years.