Joy has always loved to read, so much so that her mom would have to remind Joy not to bring books to the dinner table. She loved reading novels like Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, The Hunchback of Norte Dame by Victor Hugo, and Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Going to the library was always such a special adventure for Joy: there were always so many things left to read. After graduating high school in 2001, Joy attended the University of South Florida. While most of her peers were not sure what to major in, Joy knew right away that she was going to major in English. During college, Joy found that she loved writing poetry as well as analyzing literature, and she began writing poems in a journal. She loved how poetry gave her a way to capture the feeling of life in just a few words. Joy now teaches English in Tampa, Fl. One of her favorite parts of teaching is helping students discover their own voices through writing poetry. When she isn't writing or teaching, Joy loves to spend time with her three cats: Biggie, Ernie, and Ethel. Biggie and Ethel especially like to be outside with Joy when she is weeding her garden. While working in her garden one day, Joy discovered that a big black racer was living in a cluster of Cherry Laurels against her fence. His name is Roscoe, and he became the inspiration for this book.
