About the Author

Cynthea spent her formative years in Oklahoma and Texas where she was a Whiz Quiz member, an Academic Decathloner, and a spelling bee champion. (Yes, she was very popular. ) After attending college on the East coast, she worked at a corporate job where she mastered PowerPoint and racked up thousands of frequent flyer miles. Eventually, she traded in her suit for sweats to do the fun stuff-writing for children. Based in Chicago, Cynthea has spoken to a number of schools in Illinois and across the country. She has also been a guest speaker for national conferences organized by the American Library Association, American Association of School Librarians, Association for Library Services to Children, and the Young Adult Library Services Association, among others. Locally and regionally, Cynthea has also spoken for the Illinois School Media Library Association, the Illinois Reading Council, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the Chicago Teacher-Librarians Association. Cynthea is also a frequent guest author for local family literacy nights and young author conferences. She is also a writing coach and faculty member for both local and national conferences associated with the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators as well as universities and colleges. She has been featured on ABC's Chicago 7 and the Chicago Sun Times.

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