Simone was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, but she recently moved to sunny Florida. Simone went to the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and received her Bachelor’s of Science there in Psychology in 1992. She continued her education at Loyola University-Chicago where she received her Master’s of Science degree in Industrial Relations while working for a manufacturing company creating diversity programs for their employees.

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She loves animals (she has had many dogs – a labradoodle, a lab/Rottweiler that she rescued, a tiny chihuahua with a big attitude and a terrier/dachshund mix she rescued). Simone has two adult kids and is very close with her family. She was the Hockey Mom for her kids' hockey teams and was an active Girl Scout leader specially trained in outdoor education when her kids were little. (She also loves sushi, which you can probably tell by reading her books.) Simone writes about teens because she was a teen in the 80’s (when spiked hair and blue eye shadow were “rad”) She loves writing about those exciting teen relationships and romances.

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Simone does inspirational talks at schools, libraries, and conferences. Check out the page for testimonials from teens, teachers and Librarians who have had her speak at their school or library. If you are interested in booking Simone for a speaking engagement, please contact her from the CONTACT section of this website!

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