About Me

A school social worker by day and a mom by every other waking moment, I can typically be found laughing with my husband and two children, drinking room-temperature coffee, and enjoying spontaneous pajama dance parties just outside of Chicago. I get up early and stay up late to read, critique, and write, write, write! Even small, secret minutes can add up to amazing things.

(Loos rhymes with “close.” As in, you try to say it and I smile and say “close, it’s Loos!” and we both laugh, and now we’re best friends.)

Writing: Credentials & Such

Awards (you can read the more recent entries by clicking below):
- Susanna Leonard Hill’s Halloweensie Contest: Honorable Mention for Great Read for Younger Readers (2020)
- Susanna Leonard Hill’s Valentiny Contest: Honorable Mention (2019)
- Vivian Kirkfield’s 50 Precious Words: Honorable Mention (2019)
- Susanna Leonard Hill’s Holiday Contest: 7th Place (2018)
Member
- Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
- 3 [Amazing] Picture Book Critique Groups
- #MGNarwhals, #MGBees, & #MGLoveandTogetherness (Middle Grade Groups)

Conferences:
- ABLA Big Sur Writing Conference in Cape Cod, 2022
- SCBWI Carolinas Fall Conference, 2021
- SCBWI Oregon BiAnnual Conference 2021
- SCBWI Southern Breeze Critique Fest, 2021
- SCBWI Inland Northwest Agent Day, 2021
- SCBWI Houston Virtual Conference, 2020
- SCBWI Summer Spectacular, 2020
- SCBWI Marvelous Midwest Conference, 2019

Participant:
- Storystorm, January 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
- NF Fest (Non-Fiction Fest), February 2021, 2020
- ReFoReMo (Read for Research Month), March2019
- NaPiBoWeWee (National Picture Book Writing Week), May 2019
- ReVISIONweek, September 2019
- #PBChat, ongoing

Interesting Tidbits:
- My young childhood was mostly spent playing dress-up and imagining grand adventures
- Once I could read and write, a large portion of time was devoted to reading and writing about adventures
- I was struck by lightning while at an overnight Girl Scout Camp when I was 8! (I developed ZERO super powers but did have the special privilege of eating an orange in the cafeteria the next morning).
- I have thousands of happy memories on the stage of my local community theater. Pictured below: yours truly starring in the glamorous role of Bilbo Baggins in a stage adaptation of The Hobbit.
- In High School, I was voted both “Class Mom” and “Co-Prom Queen” (“co” because it was a tie. I voted for the other girl because “class mom” was really more on brand and she was/is fabulous.)
- I was Special Features Editor of my high school newspaper and once dedicated an entire double spread to mullets including an original poem and old pictures of teachers. It confused a lot of people but I regret nothing!
- I took creative writing classes in college and loved them. I would stay up late writing extra stories and go to office hours weekly so I could edit and revise before it was my turn to get feedback in the class. It filled me right up and I’m forever grateful for taking those classes.
- I studied abroad in Norwich, England for a semester
- I’m allergic to exercise! Really! If I don’t take an antihistamine before cardio and/or adventures, I break out in hives. (I’m really grateful for antihistamines!)
- I’ve taken improvisation classes at Second City and Improv Olympics (iO) in Chicago and have had the honor of performing on stages at both.
- I’ve been working since I was 15 and have worked as a server in an assisted living facility, a hostess, a barista, a waitress, a camp counselor (both day and overnight), a resident advisor, shelver at an engineering library, substitute teacher in a Child Development Lab, lead worker in a Crisis Nursery, administrative support in an emergency shelter for women, and as a school social worker!

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