Greater Chicago Area
Founder of The Furever Home Friends, a startup producing children's books and stuffed animals based on real rescue dogs. We give 10% of profits to animal shelters. Young-adult & new-adult novelist. YouTuber at SAVY. Blogger at savyleiser.com.
The Furever Home Friends are all dogs who have lived in a shelter at some point in their lives, and have either found, or are still looking, for their forever home. We produce a series of children's books and stuffed animals to tell each dog's story and help kids connect to the dogs empathetically. We also give 10% of profits to Chicago animal shelters. Through this collection of books, our mission is to raise awareness about the importance of adopting animals from shelters, and to share the stories of animals who have gone through the shelter system. Our books teach children about a variety of social issues--including adoption, animal abuse, body image, disabilities, racism, sexism, and much more--through a dog's perspective. Our stuffed animals are here to create lifelong friends for dog-loving kids everywhere. I started this business in 2017 by raising over $7,000 on Kickstarter to launch. After our second Kickstarter campaign raised over $3,500 in 2019, this business has raised nearly $11,000 through crowdfunding. Each book is an 8x8 full-color picture book. At the end of each book is a set of questions for kids, their parents, and even their dogs to discuss together, all about the book's themes and messages. Each book also includes a page at the end about the real dog the story is based on.
I teach creative writing workshops to kids from 2nd-12th grade.
I provide editorial services to writers, with a special focus on independent and self-published authors. My current clients include novelists, children's picture book writers, and bloggers. Writer's Confidante has recently been expanded to include writing coach, book cover design, and children's tutoring services, in addition to editing. writersconfidante.com
I write articles about marching bands, military bands, drum corps, and school music programs for bi-monthly publication in print and online. I also write for Yamaha's quarterly SupportEd magazine.
I coached the middle school debate team for tournaments throughout Chicago. I also worked for Sacred Heart as a substitute teacher and creative writing teacher.