My mother was struck by lightning when she was pregnant with me.  To make matters worse, I was then born on Halloween Night.  I was strange from the start.  As a child I was fairly quiet.  You could often find me playing with my imaginary friends (Marnie and Katyan Babyan)  or nestled up with a good book.  My older sister learned to read quickly and once she was reading, I wanted to know how to do it, too, so I followed her lead. 

 

We grew up on a mountain in Vermont.  You will see that my childhood home plays a big part in my stories. Sisters also may play a large role. I have three sisters and they have always been a great source of inspiration to me and my writing.  Among them, a scholar, an athlete and a born nurturer.  My parents brought us up to follow our dreams regardless of where they may lead and each of my sisters seems to have harnessed that so well.  

 

I have always written stories. In 2nd grade, I worked on a "book" with my best friend, Kim.  We wrote upwards of 60 pages of a story entitled "The Two Orphans."  I did the writing and Kim designated herself the illustrator.  Writing never left me after that, though I did take a minor detour in high school and college.  The fact of the matter is that I simply didn't think I could make a living as a writer.  So I decided to pursue my second passion, lighting design for the theater....I know, why would I think that a career in the theater, of all places, would be more lucrative than a career as a writer??  In my senior year at Emerson, I realized that I needed to take a writing class.  I stepped into fiction 101 and woke up.  I soon applied to the Vermont College of Fine Arts  MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults Program.  I plunged into my MFA, all the while trying to support myself with my alternate arts degree.  They were colorful times, to say the least, but it didn't take long for  me to realize that writing was my heart. To fully follow my dream as a writer, I let my theater aspirations go and headed into the work force, so I could more fully concentrate on my writing.  

 

I have worked as a librarian, a tutor, a lighting designer and technician, and as Northeast Area Director for Springboard After School. I am currently the YA librarian at the Derry Public Library. I live with my husband,Jason, and pups, Remington and Cali, in Southern NH where we have an annual pumpkin carving party, go fishing, drink tea, go for long walks, sit around the campfire, read stories and day dream.

Erin E. Moulton

• Website: www.erinemoulton.com/