THE AUTHOR

As children, my sister and I spent much of our after-school time and Saturdays working in our dad’s dental office. Being the hard-working man he is, Dr. “G” wasted no time training us to help out as dental assistants. One of my favorite jobs was to serve as a patient hostess.  I was the moral support for the scared kids in the waiting room.  My way of comforting patients was to use the one thing I had lots of… creativity and a sense of humor!  I, of course, would listen to kids tell me their good, their bad and their ugly stories about ‘Going to the dentist’.  So, pulling from my hat of imagination, we did everything from playing games and drawing to singing and dancing to the groovy 70’s tunes playing on the radio station that was located right across the street.  This was a great job since I got a chance to entertain and make lots of new friends!                                                                                                                   

However, life outside the dental office would soon teach me that opportunities for cavities lurked around every corner of life. You see, while my grandfather on our dad’s side of the family was a dentist, my grandfather on Mom’s side of the family-owned a candy store!  I remember spending my entire 5th-grade summer helping out in Grand Daddy’s small-town candy store only to bring home a grocery bag full of candy and a mouth full of cavities!                                                                                            

Collectively, these experiences have made for some interesting stories of my own. It’s no wonder that I eventually sought a career in the field of dental hygiene and in 1990 I graduated from Lamar University with an Associate’s degree in Applied Sciences for Dental Hygiene.  I always knew that my career as a dental hygienist would lead me back to my passion for creativity and now with more than 30 years of experience, I have juxtaposed my knack for storytelling with my enthusiasm for dental health education into a children’s health based storybook series, entitled “The Hot S.P.I.T. Chronicles”,  an art-in-dentistry series designed to help children form healthy dental habits. Through the art of story-telling, our characters travel on adventures that help teach dental health and overall wellness for children, caregivers, teachers, and school nurses.  Published by CREATIA Publishing, we partner with non-profit organizations, healthcare facilities and schools to provide a line of children’s stories that promote healthy lifestyles and creative living.

                                                                                                                                   

Our book series are accompanied by traveling exhibits that include health presentations delivered by our team of community volunteers to schools, community centers and health fairs throughout Houston and abroad.  Our unique health arts education series targets youth ages 5 to 10; grades Pre-K thru 4th. However, we realize all ages young and old can learn from this quirky whimsical journeys of the Hot S.P.I.T. Chronicles