If you are my age, you grew up on Schoolhouse Rock, which was a series of short cartoons set to catchy songs that taught about multiplication, science, history, and grammar. If you were like me, you learned how to describe things with adjectives, join up words in Conjunction Junction, and even shout out interjections—three minutes at a time on Saturday mornings during the commercial breaks for the regular cartoon schedule. I blame Schoolhouse Rock for setting me on the road to grammar geekdom, as well as teaching me the fundamentals about the founding of our country. (Why, yes! I can still sing the Preamble to the Constitution, thank you very much!)  Small wonder I grew up to double major in English and History.

I like to joke that my choice of majors made me literate but unemployable, but that’s a lie. I work as writer and editor. I have written dictionary definitions (acetabulum was the first word I ever defined for money); history, science, parenting, education, and current event articles; trivia quizzes, standardized test items, humor, and more. I have edited everything from highly technical science and math text to memoirs by new authors.

But we are far more than our work, so (in 75 words):

I also have a husband, twins (now young adults), and a dog; I volunteer—for causes in the community and as a mentor for another child; I’m an avid reader, have a weakness for chocolate, and a fondness for classic movies; I dislike lima beans, speaking in public, extraneous apostrophes, and heights; and I appreciate a good (bad!) pun, a marching band on a fall day, any seaside beach, and hanging out with friends and family.