Tell us about yourself!
I am a wife, mom of two teens, public school teacher on a mission to share biblical values to any kid, and author of the Character Club series.
Tell us about your books.
My books are middle grade realistic fiction that subtly teach virtues like compassion, integrity, forgiveness, and respect. The main characters all attend an after-school Character Club and interact with each other in multiple books.
Each book focuses on a different clubber on their own personal journey. They are not obviously Christian because of my public school audience but someone who knows will recognize verses that “my grandmother used to say” or “there’s an old proverb that says . . .”
There is also a spin-off series for younger readers that teaches the parts of speech and features the younger siblings of the Character Club series.
What kind of child are you trying to reach with your books?
Jeanie is a wannabe author on a journey toward compassion. Ethan is a soccer stud with a secret that causes an integrity issue. Rachel is an artist on a journey toward forgiveness through some rough friendship issues. Peter is a troubled boy on a journey toward respect and self-respect.
Benjamin Blair is one of Jeanie’s younger brothers trying to learn about patience while solving a mystery at school (secretly teaching about nouns).
Give us a little flavor of some great characters or the setting.
I love how each main character interacts with the other main characters from the different titles. For example, Jeanie writes about something that happens to Rachel that Ethan witnesses Peter do. Many little “Easter eggs” like this are in each book.
Every book can stand completely on its own without having read the others though. These are regular kids just like yours struggling with regular life stuff. Kids can relate, and great conversations can occur. Each book has discussion questions and a glossary at the end.
What inspired you to write this series?
I taught a Character Club in my home for six years while my daughters were in third through fifth grade. When the first group was headed to middle school, I wanted to give them something to remember the lessons we learned. The first book was written as a gift to them and is also dedicated to those girls.
Many of the things the characters do at club, we actually did!
How did you know you wanted to be an author?
I wanted to be an author since I was in third grade. I started a recess writing club that only lasted two days because my best friend quit after the first day. I kept writing because these stories would just develop in my head, and I wanted to write them down.
Now, I have five girls who come every week to my writing club at my school.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Write about everything! When you see something or laugh at something, have a place you can write those things down. You never know when it can become part of a story.
Also, ask people questions. Listen to the stories people tell and ask them questions to find out more. You never know when you could meet someone who could inspire a character in a story.
What formats are your books available in?
- Paperback
- Ebook
Find them here.
What’s next for the Character Club series?
While the series does not yet have a date for the next release, Peter O’Tooley, Bugged and Bullied is the most recent in the series. The companion journal to Jeanie Blair, Author Extraordinaire has been released since then.
Liked that?
Try these!
If you’re in the market for middle grade books, I’d love to share my series with you!
Power Pup is a Christian superhero adventure series for readers ages 9-13.
Calvin Quinn is a long way from the corn fields of Nebraska.
The rookie canine reporter dreams of bringing criminals to justice with his front page headlines, while working alongside famous investigative journalist team Mittens Meow and Alex Digger.
But Calvin has a secret:
He’s also a rookie superhero!
After months of training, Calvin Quinn is ready to hit the streets and defend the innocent as . . . Power Pup!