Born and raised in Southern California, Katelyn worked as a children’s bookseller for 5 years, then studied abroad in England, then became an au pair in Italy before finally settling in Europe for good. Today, she lives in France, works as a bilingual language instructor in Switzerland, and writes both children’s books & poetry–the joy of her existence. She also loves traveling Europe by train with Paris, Italy and Ireland being her favorite destinations. Still, what is life without her family, the California climate, and Mexican food? Rough.
A bit of a lone(r) wolf, Katelyn felt the need to join 12×12 in January of 2016. It changed her life. Not only did she find herself a pack of trusted critique partners, this fabulous community lit such a creative fire under her that she had signed with an agent by May. That’s why she’s The 12×12 Challenge’s #1 Fan. She is “Elf” of 2 categories in the 12×12 Forum: Pitch Perfect (to help you polish your online pitching skills) and Fiction: Character-Driven with Narrative Arcs (to discuss how to craft stories with engaging main characters).
Katelyn is represented by Christa Heschke of McIntosh & Otis, New York and so far has 6 picture books to her name, with Penguin Random House, Page Street Kids, and Candlewick Press. She’s also published several poems in The Caterpillar and Root&Star magazines. She has a degree in Liberal Arts, a degree in Language Didactics, and a bilingual MA from La Sorbonne University, Paris.
