About
Welcome to my little slice of the internet.
You must be here to check out some of my writing. This is, after all, “Colleen Writes.”
Okay, real talk. I can’t help but have a slight “ick” at the whole idea of a website about myself and my writing. But alas, here we are!
I’ve always had a deep appreciation for the written word; truly — I still remember going hard on a storybook project in the third grade. I wrote about a frog tribe called the Kariopees who blew up the sun because another warrior frog tribe stole their spots. Well, they couldn’t allow that to stand! To get their spots back they stole light from the sun. As if you wanted to know that.
Okay, strange narrative aside, I have so many fond formative memories of visiting poetry festivals (Dodge Poetry fest, you have a special place in my heart) and book readings during high school and college. Naturally, I became a literature major where I also earned my teaching degree. I taught English Language Arts for a number of years before the universe led me into the camp industry. It’s a long story but here’s the TLDR: Started working at camp during my summers, ended up with a year-round position at the camp doing staff outreach and recruiting; ended my teaching career. No regrets.
During that transitional period, a lot happened! I got married, we made two incredible humans, worked as an editor for a now-defunct website about relationships (though I am happy to report my marriage is not defunct as a result). Wrote for online publications about various topics including climbing — one of my passions — at The Climbing Zine, and motherhood (Namely over at Motherscope). I also started a side biz where I refurbished dollhouses and made miniature replicas of beloved spaces. (I still take on a project here and there. You can check out that work here.) A lot has happened since the pandemic, I guess.
I now find myself at the right time to send my manuscript into the universe! THE HAWTHORN TREE is about a young adult who is on her way to Ireland for the adventure of a lifetime. It’s not a romance novel (although you’re sure to get some) and it’s not a coming-of-age story (though our main character does learn a lot about herself). Rather, it’s about an otherworldly disaster that our protagonist, however wrought with anxiety, must solve. Did I mention there are fairies and a banshee? Yup. It’s a fun ride if I do say so myself. Much of the imagery comes from my own travels to Ireland where I lived on my own for a few months before, well, real adulthood. HA! What a time!!
Me + Ireland = Love
This pic is from somewhere around 2005.
