As a young kid I loved to read the old school Nancy drew novels and at age 11, I started writing my very own mystery novel. I only made it to chapter four before burning out entirely, but I was very proud of those rough, ridiculously wordy little chapters. At age 12 I started writing poetry (because it was faster than writing books) and stuck with that through college. I also loved to write my opinion to newspapers and had several pieces published. From age 13-22 I wrote in a journal for one to two hours EVERY DAY. But I never considered myself a writer.

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I grew up home-schooled, living on 3 acres of dirt and weeds in rural southern Arizona. My after school days were filled with mud pies, bottle feeding calves, riding bikes and toad hunting. It was a blast! Homeschooling was a self-driven education that helped me learn to manage my time and push hard to get things done.

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Becoming a full-fledged author was a path I hadn't realized I was on. I'm a major night owl, I always have been.  As a child, bedtime was code for hours of staring at the ceiling in a futile attempt to sleep.  To keep myself entertained I began making up stories in my head at around age 3 (yes I still remember them, but no I will never be sharing them!). By the time I was 15 the plots were far more elaborate, engaging, and they were my secret places of escape. Finally at age 24, I related one of my thoroughly imagined worlds to some family members who told me it sounded like a book - one they’d actually read. By that time I was desperate for a creative outlet and once again I gave writing a try. After that first, glorious page I knew I was one hundred percent hooked!

 

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