Read widely. Explore the world. Be open to other people and experiences, and also hold your sacred experiences and people close.
When did you graduate from BYU?
2001
What is your job/position? And how would you describe what you do in that job/position?
I am a #1 New York Times best-selling author. My work has been published in over 30 languages around the world, and movie rights have been optioned. I write books for teenagers (YA novels) and also middle grade novels, picture books, and novels for adults. Part of the job (besides writing) entails presenting at conferences and doing school visits, going on book tour, and managing a small business (most writers incorporate and have an LLC).
Describe the path that you took from your BYU English degree to your current career, highlighting the important realizations and turning points that paved the path for you.
I was an English teacher and loved it. When I stared having kids, I began to stay home with them, and that was when I started writing more seriously. After finishing a novel, I began querying it. I think the realization that I could write while still parenting my small children from home (not that it is easy!) was a major turning point for me.
What are the specific skills that you cultivated as an English major that you now use in your professional life? And how do you use those skills in ways that set you apart from your colleagues?
As an English major at BYU, I learned how to think critically and to spend time in literature that was difficult, uncomfortable, or challenging for me. I also learned how to look for beauty and to seek that out in what I read and what I created. This is something that comes naturally to me, but BYU scaffolded that and also showed me new ways to seek and think.
What do you wish you had known as an English major? Is there any advice you'd like to share with current students?
Read widely. Explore the world. Be open to other people and experiences, and also hold your sacred experiences and people close.