About Ms. Morris

Here’s the short-and-sweet version of my bio:

After nearly 10 years of working as a content writer and editor for two astrology Web sites, I decided to become an English teacher. In August 2010, I’ll complete my Master of Secondary Education degree at Texas State University (also known as the Teachers’ College).

I am also a writer — I’ve written 11 romance and young-adult novels that are as yet unpublished, though I’m working on it! — and a musician — I play accordion and sing in a local band. And last but certainly not least, I am a wife and mother. My husband and I live in Austin with our daughter, Pearl, and our two dogs, Laser and Loretta. We are also parents to a beloved son, August, who is deceased.

I love teaching. I love connecting with my students and helping them find their voice. I love being a custodian of the English language. I believe Brenda Ueland’s assertion with all my heart, that “everyone is talented, original, and has something important to say” (from Ueland’s book If You Want to Write).

And here’s the longer version, in case you’re bored/interested/just like to read…

For years I thought of being an English and Creative Writing teacher as a pipe dream. Not until 2008, eleven years after earning my bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from Hampshire College, did I realize — Hey, I could do this. (Watching my husband go through the process of becoming a high school teacher was what made me realize how much I wanted to do it, too.) Getting certified to teach English and Creative Writing was a natural choice, since I’ve always loved books, words and stories, and these have always been central to my hobbies as well as my jobs.

I like to say I’ve been a writer since before I could write. I have a blank-book from 1981, when I was just five years old. There’s a picture on the front of a little mouse in a dress — oh, how I loved that picture. It really appealed to my imagination. Inside are stories and dreams I dictated to my mother, who would write them down for me. My grandfather came to visit us that year, and I had him write a story for me, too. I remember how carefully he formed the letters, and how hard he pressed down with the pen to form dark, shaky lines. I was fascinated with the dent left in the side of his middle finger, created by the pressure of the pen. I can still run my fingertips over the back of the page and feel the indentations of the letters — the sharp lines of my granddad’s writing.

Here are just a few of my favorite books.

Growing up in Austin, my favorite activities were reading and writing. If I didn’t have my nose buried in a book, I was writing: short stories, poems, children’s books, character sketches, you name it. Later, I moved on to writing novellas and then novels. I graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, which has an excellent creative writing program as well as great journalism teachers; I highly recommend Hampshire for anyone interested in an intensive and intense, graduate school-style creative writing program for undergrads.

I have written eight romance novels and three young-adult novels. I’m not published in novel-length fiction yet, but I’m trying! I also worked as a content writer for an astrology Web site for almost ten years. During that time, I learned a great deal about the art and science of astrology. In fact, I teach workshops to writers’ groups about how to use the wisdom of astrology in fiction writing, to build characters and to harness your creative mojo.

I’m also a singer and a musician. I’ve been performing with my band around Austin since 2004. I sing and play accordion!

Playing at Hole in the Wall.

And finally, I’m into fitness — specifically running, cycling, swimming and weight training. I love doing triathlons, 5K and 10K races, and this year, I ran my first half-marathon.

At the finish line of my very first triathlon - the Danskin, 2007

I live in Austin with my husband, our sweet daughter Pearl, and our dogs, two mutt beasts named Laser and Loretta. We are also parents to a beloved son, August, who is deceased. I grew up in Austin, actually, where I attended Good Shepherd for preschool, Bryker Woods Elementary, Kirby Hall for fourth through eighth grades, and finally, Austin High. In spite of claiming I hated school, especially in high school…I actually really loved it. I hope I can bring some of that passion for learning, questioning and interacting with the world to you.