Thank you for visiting my site and taking the time to get to know me. I’m excited to share my story with you.
The Beginning
I was originally born and raised in Princeton, West Virginia where I graduated from Princeton Senior High school in 1987. A swimmer through most of my childhood, I left to attend college at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, and join the varsity swim team. (Go Paladins!) Four years later, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Geology and headed to Columbia to attend the University of South Carolina as a graduate student. (Go Gamecocks!) At USC, I studied hydrogeology, focusing on groundwater modeling. In between my first and second years, Mobil Oil Corporation offered me the opportunity to work in New Orleans, Louisiana for the summer. So, being a respectable graduate student, I jumped at the chance to live in New Orleans for three months! Then, in 1993, I graduated from USC with a Master of Science in Geology.
My Hydrogeology Career
Right after graduate school, I took a job as a hydrogeologist in an environmental firm in Greenville, South Carolina. I worked there for about 18 months before deciding to move to Charleston, South Carolina to be near the beach. In Charleston, I worked for another environmental firm where I performed groundwater modeling, soil and groundwater assessment, remediation system design for contaminated sites and managed other hydrogeologists in the office. After my kids were born, I soon realized that working 8 to 5 in an office was too difficult. I still loved geology but needed to work from home so that I could give my kids the childhood I wanted for them but also fulfill my desire to work and have a productive career.
Then I Started My Business – Mini Me Geology
When my son, Noah, was in kindergarten, the teacher asked that the parents come to speak to the class during career week. I took a bunch of rock samples and the kids when crazy! Later I went to the store to try to find some rock kits for Noah, and there wasn’t anything on the market that I really liked because either the samples were too small or the information was too little. That’s when the idea for Mini Me Geology was born. My goal with the business is to develop products that will help children learn to love science. Even if the kids who use my kids don’t become a scientist in the future, I want them to enjoy science because it affects every aspect of their lives.
New Chapter Begins, Literally!
When I was at Furman, I took some fascinating English classes. One that I loved, in particular, was Poetry, Plays and Short Stories. The professor introduced me to the works of John Malkovich. Okay, he isn’t a novelist but an actor who I just LOVE! Anyway, because of this class, I got interested in writing. So far, I’ve written several geology activity books that are both stand-alone and come with our kits and a book for home school parents and teachers who need to teach rock and mineral identification but have no geology background.
I also branched out and wrote a non-fiction book, Launch It Quick, about how I started Mini Me Geology and how you can quickly launch a product-based business too.
Soon, I decided to write my first fiction series. A middle-grade time travel adventure series for kids ages 9-12. The Crystal Cave Adventure series is a little bit geology, a little bit of time travel, and a whole lot of adventure. The first book, which a short prequel novella for the Crystal Cave Adventures, is absolutely free. Novels 1 through 4 also have companion activity books that have fun quizzes, puzzles, activities, and fun book facts. You can order all of the books in the series through the Mini Me Geology website or at most major book retailers.
My Family
I live in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, which is near the beach. My son, Noah, is actually away at college, my daughter Piper is in high school and we have a 110-lb Great Pyrenees, named Brutus (pictured, isn’t he cute?), and our sweet cat, Brooks.
If you are on Instagram, please take a second to follow Brutus! He is @brutus_the_polarbear
