About Me

In a Nutshell:

I'm a writer of science fiction and fantasy for children and adults with a PhD in Sustainability. I'm 3/4 vegan, 1/4 Earl Gray, and 4/4 mom. I'm a lover of Firefly, reading, geeky board games, & tidepools. You can read more about me below, peek at some of my books-in-progress, download a few free decodable readers for any of your kids doing a phonics-based reading program, or find me on social media here:

  
Coordinator of the Mums Who Write Facebook Group

    

The Longer Version:

Here is a little more about me: I am a current Sydneysider, guzzler of Earl Gray Tea, full-time parent, part-time writer, and Sustainability PhD with a background in Environmental Studies and Education. I'm working on a few books right now, which you can find out a little more about here. 

Anika Shaw Photography

Born and raised in Western Washington, I spent most of my homeschooled childhood running around the woods (in costume), reading books, and writing stories. My writing career came to a crashing halt when, at eight, a well-meaning editor at a class for young writers marked up my Oregon Trail story in red ink. Devastation ensued. I vowed I would never write another story again! And I didn't. At least not for awhile.

At twelve, I moved north to the beautiful and decreasingly remote Orcas Island, and I turned my energies to marine biology and non-fiction writing. In high school I decided I wanted to become . . . a teacher, an artist, a curriculum writer, an educational software designer, or perhaps just someone who lived in South America. My senior year, I designed a curriculum using Understanding by Design  and taught a class on Medieval History and that's how I fell in love with writing and teaching all over again.

I continue to remain undecided as to what I want to be when I grow up, though it will hopefully involve writing and teaching. One thing I know for sure is that it certainly wont be just one thing. So far I've gotten my B.A. in Environmental Studies with a Minor in Education, a PhD in Sustainability, and have worked as a teaching assistant, curriculum designer, farm hand, and environmental consultant.

My husband and I met between undergrad and grad school, and went to grad school together at Arizona State University. There we lived in a really fantastic sustainability-focused grad student community close to ASU. It was sort of like a commune, but better: A lot more board games and a lot classier potlucks. Our amazing landlord let us plant a veggie garden and a fruit orchard in the courtyard!  There were 11 different kinds of fruit trees (count them, 11!) and every day I'd go outside to watch the little fruits grow. I so miss those little guys now.

In 2012 we relocated to the most amazing city I have ever lived in: Sydney, Australia. Now I wake up every morning to the sound of black cockatoos and lorakeets flying by my window ... or, more often, the noise of my two little kids giggling as they tear apart the house before we're awake. I currently spend most of my days trying to distract my two little ones from actually tearing apart the house, and writing in every stolen spare moment.

You can contact me at:  carissawritesthings (at) gmail (dot) com.

Photo Credit: Anika Shaw Photography

 

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