Dawn likes to keep busy and when she is not drawing, writing, or teaching, spends her time volunteering, doing creative projects, continuing her martial arts training, playing games, and reading.

Her volunteer work includes the American Red Cross and Florida State Animal Response Coalition. In addition to local charitable efforts and community service work, she has been able to deploy to multiple national disasters, including spending a month in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina as a disaster relief worker [picture]. She deploys in emergecies and teaches animal rescue training trhough FLSARC [picture] and volunteers with a local animal shelter, Cat Depot, fostering cats.

She is always involved in one creative project or another, and spends her free time building custom furniture [picture] in her studio space.

Dawn holds a black belt in traditional Okinawan-style karate and is currently the assistant instructor at Sarasota Karate Club. She has also studies Okinawan Kobudo [picture], She served in the U.S. Army National Guard [picture] for four years.

When she's not doing one of these other things, she enjoys playing tabletop board and role playing games, video games, and reading just about anything.

She currently lives in Bradenton, Florida.