Welcome to my author website! My name is Chrissy Marshall, an aspiring author you likely have not heard of just yet. While I have been writing since I could hold a pencil, I have not written on a professional level until now.
Raised in Boulder, Colorado, my childhood was filled with imagination and creativity from my private journals I kept as an adolescent to the theatrical plays that allowed me to express my love for the arts (my favorite being the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia in 2005). When it comes to writing, I have always been told I am a natural. A bit of a shy teenager, I was able to express myself best through the written word. In college, I took a few creative writing classes that I loved, but my passion for teaching was stronger than my love for writing, so my stories were put on the back burner.
Fast forward to the pandemic. I had been a teacher for almost a decade, reading specialist to be specific. With zoom being my only contact with my students, I had a lot of down time. I began to draft ideas for the novel I had always dreamed of creating. Unfortunately by Fall 2020, being an interventionist over zoom was too challenging so I went back to the classroom, or rather the virtual classroom. I taught most of first grade on zoom that year, and in person the following year. I was finally able to return to the position I loved, a reading specialist by the Fall of 2022.
If any of you have been following education, you know it has had it’s challenges the last few years. There have been increases in behavior struggles, lack of funding in certain cases and a great deal of pressure being put on teachers than there used to be. I love being a teacher and I have no intention of leaving that career anytime soon, but I would be lying if I said the last few years haven’t weighed on my heart. During some of these challenging times, I began to miss the free feeling I once had when writing a story, or visualizing a fictional character I wanted to share with the world.
While my dream novel is unfinished, I have found creating a story with a heroine children could relate to has given me a new level of inspiration. As a child, I had my struggles with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and if the last few years have taught me anything, it is simply this: kids are struggling to keep up, and to feel seen among their peers and even adults at times. I would love to write a story with a relatable character that would make kids feel seen, and help them understand they are not alone. The character’s name will be Ruby, and with any luck, she will be a friend to children everywhere.
Until she comes to light, I would love for this website to be a way to get to know me as an author, with a touch of teaching tips. I will share my favorite books (mostly Middle-Grade), some of my teaching tips, as well as some of my character sketches and writing sneak peeks.
If you like what you have read, please let me know by leaving a comment. I am eager to connect with authors, future readers and supporters of education.
Follow me on Instagram for updates:
https://www.instagram.com/chrissy.marshall.author?igsh=MW1icjQ5OWwxbWZxdg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Thank you for visiting my website!
Chrissy Marshall, Aspiring Middle Grade Author
Chrissy Marshall 