Welcome to Brazen Careerist!

About Me

Attended Wittenberg University and graduated with a BA in East Asian Studies and English. I went on a long roadtrip out west and upon my return finished my first novel, either Home or Long Way Home depending on when you ask, on September 17th, 2007. Finished my second novel, A City at Peace, January 12th, 2009. Long Way Home was a quarterfinalist in Amazon.com’s Breakthrough Novel Award, making the cut to 500 from 10,000. Instead of picking up the cool $25,000 attached to the contest, I snagged a full ride and stipend to UC Riverside, where I’ll be working on my third novel, an MFA, and supping primarily on ramen noodles.

Work History

• Champaign County Communications Center
• 911 Dispatcher
• September 2005 to August 2007

• Handled emergency 911 calls as well as non-emergency calls for local police, fire, and EMS districts. Identified and dispatched proper emergency professionals to scenes of accidents, crime, or injury. Responsible for the well being and tracking of emergency responders at all times. Community interaction and direction to appropriate areas to address situations.

• Madison Plains Local and Mechanicsburg Exempted Schools
• Substitute Teacher
• September 2007 to November 2007

• Supervised classrooms of various sizes and ages, from 7th through 12th grade. Implemented lesson plans, aided students in subjects from Spanish to Media Literacy

Education

• University of California at Riverside
• MFA, Fiction, Poetry
• 2009 - 2011

• Wittenberg University
• BA, English, East Asian Studies
• 2003 - 2006

• Minor in Writing.