Natural Elements is my first published YA novel and second manuscript. I am currently working on my third, Evan, about a teenage boy growing up in Tacoma, WA during the 1970s. My daughter Jordan was the inspiration for Natural Elements. Having the same background as the main character-being of mixed race, black/South Asian and finding very little information or books written about girls with similar backgrounds, I decided to write something she could identify with. However, the theme of the novel is universal. Natural Elements is for all the girls and women who are searching—trying to find themselves in a complicated world. My work experience/educational background includes secondary English teacher with the New York City and Seattle public school systems, Case Manager with the New York City foster care system, BA in English Literature from The College of Staten Island-CUNY, Secondary Teaching Certification from Antioch University- Seattle, and MA in Creative Writing from City College of New York-CUNY.