Why I Started Writing:

I lost my only sibling, Jack, far too early. His passing was not unexpected but was one of the most difficult times in my life. His wife requested I speak at his memorial service, and although I agreed, I had no idea what to say until the Lord offered an idea. I'd read through the letters we'd exchanged the last ten years. I'd share our experience as siblings with a sixteen-year gap between us. God led me through each paragraph.

At the service ,I was surprised to enjoy the walk down memory lane. When I took my seat at the end of my time behind the lectern, I felt a warm presence. People were smiling through the tears. His friends and co-workers thanked me. “You made me laugh, you made me cry. But most of all, you made me glad I knew Jack.”

There it was. I wrote the message God gave, and people were impacted in a way I hadn’t anticipated. Somehow, the arrangement of the words on the page held significance beyond my imagination. I recognized in that moment: I am a writer. I’m called to encourage, exhort, and educate through my writing. Several close to me, including Jack, had encouraged me to write for twenty years. I dismissed the suggestion, although I’m unsure why. Maybe the timing was not yet right.

I felt God's tug toward writing at age ten. I journaled and wrote short stories, but as a kid, I missed the significance. I'm grateful for a second chance to hear the Lord. I’m starting forty years later than expected, and I want to finish strong. And finishing strong is my plan!

Authors Who Have Influenced Me:

• Children: Louisa May Alcott, author of the Little House on the Prairie book series.
• Non-Fiction: Joyce Meyer, Andy Andrews, Gary Chapman, Lucinda McDowell
• Fiction: Deb Raney, James L. Rubart, Liz Curtis Higgs, Ted Dekker

Books I Have Written:

• Related by Chance, Family by Choice, Kregel Publications 2013
• I Choose You Today; 31 Ways to Make Love Last, Abingdon Press 2015
• Don't Go to Bed Angry. Stay Up and Fight, Abingdon Press 2015
• Bumper Sticker Be-Attitudes, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. 2019
• Hallmark Christmas: When Comes the Heart Compilation book 2019
• We May Be Done but We're Not Finished, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. 2021
• The Write Calling, Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. 2022

What I'm Working On Now:

My husband, Ron, and I are working on a nonfiction book in the category of Christian Living / Marriage.  The book offers hope for marrieds over 50 who find their lives as empty as their nest—as their busy years together buried both their love for one another and their identity as husband and wife as they filled their roles as mom and dad.

Statistics reveal the divorce rate among the general population has decreased in the last ten years, but has increased—significantly—for those in their 50s and 60’. For many, it occurs after 30+ years of marriage, and for others, it arises in their second or third marriage. And the numbers in the church, according to researcher George Barna, parallel those with no faith affiliation at all.

How can it be that our faith gives us no advantage when it comes to long-term happiness as marrieds? This is not a book of shoulds, but one to inform, educate, and bring hope to couples that the love of their life for the rest of their life is not only possible, but God’s design for marriage.