Why I Started Writing:

I probably started writing because I couldn’t help myself. Journaling helps me think and process, and I have dozens of notebooks to prove it. But I started writing the book that made it to Elk Lake because I wanted to share the truth that sets us free, and I wanted to do it with a story as Jesus did.

I grew up without a sense of identity and remember being embarrassed to still be asking “who am I” after I’d raised a family. It wasn’t a trivial question because my insecurity had hampered me all my life. I looked to others’ reactions and expectations in relationships which is to say I wasn’t honest. It was a long journey to the healing and freedom I now enjoy, but the first step was putting my faith in Jesus Christ after a divorce at age 34. I see now that God allowed everything I thought defined me to crash so I could know Him and come to know myself.

Writing A Future and a Hope borrows heavily from the questions I had and the fear that kept me locked up, but the circumstances of the characters in the book are completely different. I was amazed at the joy I found in every aspect of writing, research, and learning the craft. Joy showed me that I was doing what God created me to do with the message He’d equipped me to share.

Authors Who Have Influenced Me:

Where to begin? Since I’ve written fiction, I’ll stick to that. I’ve always loved mysteries and thrillers and fell in love with the horse racing books of Dick Francis. Unlike so many books I’d read before, his heroes’ character traits were important to the story. Later, I was inspired by the overt faith messages in Francine Rivers’ books and saw fiction as another way to encourage believers. The psychological depth of Kristen Heitzman’s work gave me a vision of communicating emotion. I was also influenced by the comforting feel of Jan Karon’s series about Father Tim and his community. I know those are older books, but I haven’t found many that touch me as deeply today. I’m sure they’re out there. And there have been many authors that have mastered beautiful descriptions, unique voice, and riveting plots.

I also benefited from critique partners who didn’t let me get away with deep POV violations!

Books I Have Written:

I’ve written one book under contract now with Elk Lake. It was overhauled extensively over six years of writing and carried different titles, but A Future and a Hope is the final version.

What I'm Working On Now:

I’m plotting a sequel, but it won’t be a romance since my main characters are married now. I am also working on devotional blogs for my website and other online collections. I’m attacking the learning curve that separates a writer from an author as I learn about book launching.