ABOUT ME 

I was born and raised in Alabama.  I graduated high school there (Go "Wildcats!").  I love the South.  I guess it's true that you can take the girl out of the South but you can't take the South out of the girl!

I started developing my writing career at an early age.  Before I learned to write, I made squiggles on paper that only I could understand but to me, those squiggles were a story.  Later, my older brother received a manual typewriter for Christmas and I spent many after school hours in front of "his" typewriter using the hunt and peck system of typing as I crafted my stories.  I sold my first piece of writing in my early twenties to a parents magazine.  Wow, what a euphoric feeling to see your name in print!  To me, there's nothing like it.

After graduating from high school, I joined the U.S. Air Force to see the world.  I served my entire time in Texas as a nurse (so much for seeing the world). While there, I did attend college, majoring in Journalism and Elementary Education.  After leaving the Air Force, I moved to Tennessee where I met my husband.  I have a handsome son and two grandchildren (a boy and a girl).  We moved to Iowa which is now our home.  After moving here to Iowa, I again attended college, majoring in Photography and Criminal Justice.

I have a micro-mini teacup chihuahua that I adore (her photo is on my Welcome page).  Her name is "Mouse" and she sleeps on my lap as I write.  Her favorite treat is either green, red or yellow sweet bell pepper.  She loves green beans, sweet carrots and french fries.

I love writing.  It's actually hard work.  You have to connect your "tushy" to a chair in front of a computer (typewriter, or whatever it is you use) for hours.  My friend and fellow romance author, Emma Robuck, e-mails the word "BICHOK" to me during the day which means "butt in chair, hands on keyboard".  Writing is a solitary job.  You can go for days without seeing anybody.  You get lost in the world that you're creating, talking with the people that you create.  I guess it's like pretend play, except that I'm pretending to be a type of God, creating my own universe and throwing whatever disasters at my characters that I can think up.  Believe me, I can think up some pretty great disasters, too.

I strive to continue learning the art of romance writing by attending workshops around the United States as well as bringing well-known romance writers into the local area to present workshops of varying descriptions.  I've attended workshops by Jenny Crusie and Bob Mayer - "Don't Look Down", Janet Evanovich - "the Stephanie Plum series"; J.A. Jance - "Long Time Gone"; Laura Baker and Robin L. Perini - "Discovering Story Magic"; Lori Wilde - "My Secret Life", "There Goes the Bride"; Lois Greiman - "Bewitching the Highlander", "Unscrewed"; Mary Winter - "The Prodigal Son"; Michael J. Manno - "Murder Most Holy"; Kali Van Baale - "The Space Between"; Tamara Siler Jones - "Ghosts in the Snow; Threads of Malice; Valley of the Soul";  to name just a few.

In addition to writing, I am also an award-winning photographer and specialize in nature and wildlife photography.  My love of photography developed in my early years as well.  I started out by making my pets (8 beagle hounds, one German shepherd, one squirrel monkey and a half dozen cats) sit still long enough for me to take black and white photos of them.  After high school, I furthered my photographic studies while serving in the U.S. Air Force.  Since then, I have attended the Rocky Mountain School of Photography's Nature Photography Workshop Series at Wildeyes in Kalispell, Montana, and graduated from the "Beginning Nature Photography Course" and the "Advanced Nature Photography Course" taught by Joe and Mary Ann McDonald at Hoot Hollow in McClure, Pennsylvania.  I have continued my photographic studies by completing college level courses in photography and by attending photographic workshops and seminars held by such well-known nature photographers as John Shaw, John and Barbara Gerlach, Harry June, Rick Hobbs and Ty Smedes.   I am a field contributor to Nature Photographer magazine and a member of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA). I have won numerous awards and was selected to participate in the "Faces of Iowa" project which was exhibited at the Des Moines Art Center before traveling around the State of Iowa.