Biography

Kayla is originally from Austin, Texas, and has lived there all her life. As a child, her parents encouraged her reading and writing, which jump-started her love of creative writing and her passion for books and library education. Kayla also loved getting to know new people as a young girl, and as the saying goes, she's never met a stranger.

In high school, Kayla was diagnosed with celiac disease and took the rest of her high school years to recover from and adapt to the chronic illness. She began attending Texas State University in the fall of 2015 and decided on a degree in journalism, with a focus in reporting and photojournalism. Kayla loves learning and finds the educational environment both challenging and rewarding.

After her graduation from Texas State University, Kayla plans to attend the University of Texas to get her Master's degree in Information Science (MSIS) so that she can begin her journey as a school librarian. Kayla wants to spend her life writing, reading, connecting with people, and encouraging others to pursue their passions.

Creative Writing

My love of creative writing began in elementary school. I wrote songs to submit to school contests, poems for fun in middle school, and stories about horses and fairies that I never seemed to finish.

In middle school, my first English teacher noticed me writing on my own in class and introduced me to something called National Novel Writing Month - at that point, the junior version for teens and tweens. I carried an AlphaSmart with me to every class during November. In 7th grade, I wrote about a mom and daughter who used a time machine and got stuck in the Jurassic period. In 8th grade, I wrote about an arctic research facility that was ambushed by tiny dragons from another world.

My freshman year of high school, I had the crazy idea for my current project. I sat down over the three weeks I had for winter break and wrote 70,000 words, then put it aside. I'm now working through draft number three and loving it.

There are lots of other little ideas in my brain that will make their way out eventually, but for now, I'm in love with Changer (the working title for this project) and plan to see it through every step of publishing.