Vanessa Roam grew up in the small town, Treadwell, NY. Many of her extended family members resided within walking distance, including her grandmother, who would later inspire this author to write a children’s book.

Vanessa has always enjoyed reading and writing since she herself was a small child. She can recall eagerly anticipating story time during her Head Start class in Delhi, NY. She also remembers struggling to exercise patience as she waited for her turn to read, one-on-one, with her first grade teacher, while attending A.L. Kellogg Elementary School in Treadwell, NY. It was an exciting event for her when the Book Mobile would roll in during summer vacations.

It was not surprising to find little Vanessa sitting on a large rock, with her bare feet dipped in the cool creek water, a book in her hands and a medium sized black dog curled up beside her. Many warm summer days were spent hiking up the mountain, to their own special spot, where they would enjoy nature. Inevitably the girl would dig a book from her dirty backpack and read to her furry friend.

As she grew, the young girl became motivated to assist others in becoming fluent readers. Vanessa began by supporting her peers in overcoming their reading difficulties. Meanwhile, she was also providing child care to a handful of families in her home town. Part of her responsibility was helping these elementary students with their homework and reading practice. Vanessa out grew reading to her dog and began reading to the children she was caring for. The children came to anticipate snuggling up with their babysitter, for their bedtime story, before the lights would be turned out for the night.

Eventually, Vanessa Roam began tutoring students in her last years as a student of Delaware Academy in Delhi, NY. She tutored in most school subjects, but she always included aiding the student in refining their reading and comprehension skills. At the same time, Vanessa’s interest in literature continued as she enrolled in additional English classes. Through organized independent study she strived to translate portions of famous foreign written works into English, with a focus on preserving the tone and the intellect of the piece.

Vanessa Roam began her college education at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. She completed the majority of her coursework at the State University of New York in Oneonta, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree. Though Vanessa majored in Business Economics, her heart remained tied to children, so she pursued extra coursework pertaining to child development and teaching. Vanessa’s relationship with her Husband began while Vanessa was earning her degree. Since completing her degree, she has continued to independently research methods of teaching and exercise her writing.

Vanessa Roam drew upon the information she had gathered over the years, to develop tailored reading lesson plans for each of her two homeschooled children, focusing on their individual learning styles as she taught them to read. It was through teaching her children to read, that Mrs. Roam wrote the stories “A Remnant Surprise” and "Tippy Tip", which were originally used in their reading lessons. “A Remnant Surprise” was published by Tate Publishing & Enterprises, and released in December 2011. "Tippy Tip" is in the process of being published by Tate Publishing with expected release late in 2013.

Since the Roam children were newborns, they have been hearing verbal and written stories created by their mother, as well as hundreds of carefully selected works from many other authors. The children look forward to Mommy’s parables and have begun telling their own short stories. Mrs. Roam’s son can sometimes be found under his bed, or in the closet, flashlight in hand, while reading a favorite book. The day Mrs. Roam found her daughter sitting on their porch, reading to their neighbor’s small beagle, she thought she had found herself! Roam is so thankful her children have learned to read well enough to enjoy books rather than feel frustrated by them.

One of Vanessa Roam’s favorite things to do is cuddle up with the special children in her life and read them a well written story. She encourages all adults to participate in this peaceful, refreshing activity; not only because it is highly beneficial to the receiving child, but to the giving adult as well.

It is only natural that Vanessa Roam’s passion for reading and storytelling is reflected in her interactions with children, whether they were her peers, children she cared for, her own or ones she meets along the way. She is looking forward to the opportunity to share her stories with many children over the coming years. It is her hope that through her books and her words she can encourage more and more children to become fluent readers.

These photos are examples of quilts handmade by Author Vanessa Roam. She used Great-Grandma's old quilt rack (built by Roam’s grandfather) to hold the top, batting and backing together. Her favorite way to attach the layers is old-fashioned tying.