Hello readers & friends! Welcome to my world. I'm Caitlin, a fiction writer of mostly middle grade novels, often fantasy and sometimes mystery. Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed about becoming a detective, a doctor, a wizard, a ballerina, a spy, & on & on & on. So naturally, I settled on children's writer and these days, try my best to get lost in story.

Come on in to learn more about my current works-in-progress, and to explore my books lists and recommendations!

Stop by Instagram where I often talk about books, share musings about my writing, give peeks into my classroom (I'm a high school English teacher too!), and post way too many pictures of my literary pets.

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Classroom Blog

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I don’t know about you, but Fall always makes me contemplative.
Except this year, Fall doesn’t seem to want to come around.
My body feels the summer heat, while my soul yearns for the slow, coolness of Fall.
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It’s a battle right now.
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And honestly, my soul is battling a lot more than just this whole lingering heat.
Vocation.
Future plans.
Faith.
It’s an ebb & flow of finding contentment & feeling failure, often feeling all the feels of one end to the other, with barely any gray space between.
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My church just started a 6 week series called “Hope Rising” & it couldn’t be more timely for my life. One Sunday in, and I’m already being called to trust more deeply in God’s promises, while being authentic in my own walk.
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And so, I find myself thinking about how these ebb & flow moments always bring me back to stories. The ones that heal me, both Biblical & literary, and I’m reminded that beyond the pages I pen or pick up, my life too, is a story.
Meant to be shared so Hope can rise up elsewhere.
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Because no matter what kind of ebb & flow we go through in life, we’re all stories in the end.
And even when I’m in a battle, I want to let Hope rise, to contribute to my ending, so that it’s a good one. •
Sometimes, I just need a reminder.
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New ink & 📷 by @timbecktattoos @freedominktattoos •
#tattoo #doctorwho #whovian #doctorwhotattoo #freedomink #freedominktattoos #nerd #inked #fangirl #stories #writer #writersofinstagram

New day, new #lunchtimereads
If you know a younger reader who loves mystery, the SHELBY HOLMES series by @elizabetheulberg are a must add to the list!
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I’m skating through the newest, THE GREAT SHELBY HOLMES AND THE COLDEST CASE, which just published last week!
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It’s a fun reimagining of the Holmes stories for younger readers...and let’s face it, all ages of readers! This one even has a super cool cypher!
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#readwithcait #lostinstory #bookish #booknerd #mglit #middlegrade #mysterystory

Sunday afternoon life.
The best.
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#thelorelife #readwithcait #lostinstory #sundayafternoon #doxie #storiedlifeofajfikry #booknerd #bookish

Cozy, gray days are for reading.
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Good thing that’s on the docket for my classes today.
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#reader #readingteacher #booknerd #booknerdigan #englishteacher

I’m slowly settling back into the routine of school, & I love my classes this year...but lunch in the courtyard is definitely taking the top spot of my day.
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#currentlyreading #booknerd #teacher #teachersofinstagram #bookish #bookstagram #readwithcait

September’s #tbr list. •
I think my book stack is bigger than my free time.
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#booknerdproblems #booknerd #bookstagram #reader #readersofinstagram #readwithcait #septemberreads

Things I learned this Summer: The Serious & The Silly
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June is my favorite month. 🌺
This was my fourth summer as a teacher, & I’m finally learning the importance of taking June off from school completely just to read & write. I don’t go into my classroom. I don’t think about or plan curriculum. I just sit on my porch with a stack of good books & my own notebooks, losing myself in story.
It’s a refresher for my creative soul, & has become my favorite month of the year because of its slowness & restfulness. Plus, June is usually gorgeous around here without all the extra humidity.
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Early morning dog walks are magical. 🐶
The pups & I had a routine this summer that I fell in love with. I’d get up, have coffee & quiet time, then take them around the neighborhood as the sun was coming up. It was magical & quiet. Rarely did we meet others, so it was as if we had the world to ourselves. They were walks full of prayers & dreams.
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Bucket lists make the season much more productive & adventurous. 📝
I took a note from some dear friends of ours who make bucket lists with their girls each summer & made our own. Even though we didn’t have a bigger vacation this year, it was a super fun summer for us, full of spontaneity & getting some much needed work done.
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Dungeons & Dragons has been missing from my life. 🐉
I don’t know how it took me until I was 31 to play, but I’m so glad we joined a campaign this summer. What an adventure we had all while connecting more deeply with good friends. Plus, I got to live out my dreams of being a thief. (Which I would never do in real life!)
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A yearly writerly meet up is good for my soul.👩🏼‍💻👩🏻‍💻👩🏻‍💻
This year was Chicago & we’re already planning next year! Writing is lonely & vulnerable, so I’m learning the importance of having not just partners but dear friends who I can talk out my story with & encourage in their own journey.
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I’ll always be a mystery fan.❓
I mean, I love a good fantasy, but my reading roots stretch back to my summer of Nancy Drew. Give me a good mystery any day & I’ll be #lostinstory for hours.
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What did you learn this Summer?
I’d love to know!
For more, visit @emilypfreeman or the #wwlcommunity

Happy Back to Hogwarts day!! Totally wishing I was catching the Hogwarts Express today! •
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#backtohogwarts #hogwarts #harrypotter #potterhead #booknerd

“Yesterday when it was tomorrow was too much day for me.”
-Winnie the Pooh
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Sometimes a busy Saturday morning after a long first week of school calls for a moment to stop and smell the flowers.
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Let the little moments sink in, friends, and don’t be afraid to pause when it all feels like too much.
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#countingeveryblessing #openeyes #lifeisgood #everydayextravagant #choosejoy #thelittlethings #winniethepooh #dahlia #farmersmarketflowers

This is how I want to feel as the last day of summer passes.
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But as I think about all the things I’ll miss from this season of respite, I realize they’re also all the things I’m most grateful for.
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quiet morning walks with the dogs
space to creatively dream
lunches with Miss Fisher
church bells every hour
working from home
afternoon lattes
new stories
reading like a kid again
afternoon hikes
cicada songs through the screens
lunch dates with the husband
chasing a bucket list
life lived unscheduled
front porch office hours
errands via bicycle
butterfly glimpses
unlimited cuddles with the doxies
coffee dates with good friends
firefly nights
hellos from the neighbor boys & girls
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#thelorelife #itssimplytuesday #everydayextravagant #lifeisgood #lifewithcait #countingeveryblessing #openeyes

#thejoyrunlist || surprise back-to-school blooms, sunbeams, quiet mornings in the neighborhood
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#itssimplytuesday

#thejoyrunlist || sunrise runs, pockets of faerie magic, the songs of summer

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