avg_rating: 4.25
name: Michelle  Arnold
about: I grew up in Illinois, two blocks from my local library. I read pretty much whatever I could get my hands on, and when the story I wanted wasn't there, I made it up. I don't remember a time when I wasn't making up stories, but I believe I was 6 when I began writing them down. I still have the unicorn notebook that I wrote my first stories in! By the time I was 8, the stories became a regular escape. When school was boring or unpleasant, I retreated into my head and dealt with the situation by either narrating it or inventing a better one. Each doll I owned had an elaborate backstory in my mind. In seventh grade, I won first place in a school contest for the best scary story, the prize being a gift certificate for the fall book fair. I was p I grew up in Illinois, two blocks from my local library. I read pretty much whatever I could get my hands on, and when the story I wanted wasn't there, I made it up. I don't remember a time when I wasn't making up stories, but I believe I was 6 when I began writing them down. I still have the unicorn notebook that I wrote my first stories in! By the time I was 8, the stories became a regular escape. When school was boring or unpleasant, I retreated into my head and dealt with the situation by either narrating it or inventing a better one. Each doll I owned had an elaborate backstory in my mind. In seventh grade, I won first place in a school contest for the best scary story, the prize being a gift certificate for the fall book fair. I was pretty thrilled about that, but I didn't really become disciplined about writing my stories down until towards the end of high school. In my first year of college, I began writing my first novel, though I never quite finished it. That didn't matter though; I was finally in the habit of writing on a daily basis, and this habit enabled me to start and finish multiple novels in the following years. In 2004, I graduated from the University of Illinois with an education degree. I have spent the years since working in a day care, being a substitute teacher, and working as a special education TA. I never stopped finding the time to write though, and eventually I decided it was time to share those stories with the public!Currently I am focused on writing, but may teach again in the future. I have an old house with lots of books, a spoiled cat named Lily Belle, and an obsessive interest in Doctor Who, Harry Potter, and Star Wars.Visit me here: facebook.com.MichelleArnoldbookshttps://www.amazon.com/Michelle-Arnol... ...more