My First Story

The Alligator Story – And Why I Write for the little Wild Ones

In one of the many neighborhoods I grew up in, I was the only girl on the block. My best friend lived next door, our other best friend lived across the street, and together we played HARD. Freeze tag, front yards, back yards, in and out of each other’s houses all day long. It was the kind of childhood fun that feels like a movie when you look back on it.

And it’s the backdrop for one of the first imaginative stories I ever told. Now, I’ll be honest. It was also a fib. But I’ve made peace with little Cher. She had a lot going on. 😄 My bestie and I wanted to go to the park. We asked. The answer was no. So naturally, we did what any completely reasonable seven-year-olds would do. We went anyway.

We walked over a mile. We got there. We played and played and lost complete track of time the way only kids can do. And then slowly, the way it always does, reality crept in.

It had been a long time.

We were probably in trouble.

That’s when my brain kicked into high gear.

By the time we started walking home I had a story. A good one. While we were playing outside, a wild alligator had appeared out of nowhere and chased us all the way to the park. We scrambled up the monkey bars and stayed there, stranded at the very top, until the alligator finally left. There may have also been some magic birds involved that scared it away. The details are a little fuzzy. 🐊✨

Now. We lived in Rocklin, California. The only alligator within a hundred miles lived in an aquarium. I did not fully understand this yet. We didn’t make it home before the police found us. Our parents had called the cops. I started telling the officer my story on the ride home, and he laughed the whole way. When we pulled into the driveway I told my dad everything.

I got grounded for a month!

The police officer was still laughing.

But Here’s Why I’m Telling You This

Imaginative storytelling is one of the most natural and important parts of childhood. It’s how young minds grow, stretch, and blossom. When kids create stories, even ridiculous ones about alligators in California, they are building skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

Creative thinkers thrive. They find solutions nobody else sees. They think outside the box in structured environments. They are innovative, flexible, and endlessly curious. The child spinning wild tales on the playground is often the adult who changes the room.

I didn’t know any of that when I was seven. I just knew I needed a really good excuse.

But that story, that silly, implausible, completely committed alligator story, was the first of many I would tell over the course of my life. And eventually, instead of telling them to police officers and frustrated parents, I started writing them down.

Now I write for the wild ones. The silly, imaginative kids with big hearts and even bigger ideas. The ones who play hard, dream big, and occasionally need a really good story to get out of trouble.

This is for you. 🐊📚

A Note on the New Branding

You may have noticed things look a little different around here! I recently gave my whole author brand a refresh and yes, that little alligator wearing glasses in my logo? That’s the one. He represents everything I believe about storytelling. It should be warm, a little silly, and completely from the heart.

But here’s the thing. That alligator isn’t just a logo.

Let’s just say that a certain imaginative seven-year-old who once blamed an alligator for her unsupervised trip to the park may have an upcoming book with an alligator main character. 👀🐊

I have a new book coming in 2027 and one of the main characters is an adorable alligator. That’s all I’m saying for now. More details to come, but if you’ve read this far, you already know this story has been a long time coming. 😄

Stay tuned. It’s going to be a good one.

Welcome to the new chapter. I’m so glad you’re here. 🐊📚