BIOGRAPHY To be honest, I never thought I would be an author. While going to school, English was my worst subject, next to phys ed. I was not an outdoor person, especially since I suffered from allergies and the medicines available would make me sleep until it was time to take the next dose. But I loved stories and books, so I read avidly all the mystery stories appropriate for my age. In my mind they played out like a movie.
Soon I was "directing" my own story movies in my head, with myself as the star of course. I daydreamed about being a princess from an unknown far away country or that a rich relative I never met left me their fortune. But it never crossed my mind to write them down, because silly things like grammar and spelling would slow me down or get in my way.
Years later this would all change. A close family friend introduced my co-author/mother and myself to Diana Gabaldon's time travel series that started with Outlander. We raced through all the books she had out in 2000 and discovered we had to WAIT for the NEXT one! Horrors!
I was married with children by that time, in fact I was pregnant with twins, when Mom and I were making yet another futile trip to the bookstore to see if the much awaited book was FINALLY OUT! Frustration overflowed and Mom griped, "What could possibly be taking SO LONG!"
My reply shocked us both: "So write your own story, if it's so easy!" She gaped at me, and when she could finally reply she said, "About what?!" All at once all the stories that played in my head came together as I snapped my reply that began a writing partnership I will treasure the rest of my life. We wrote our first manuscript that finished with a whopping 280,000+ words. After two years of attempted edits and unsatisfying critiques, we set that story aside and wrote Ethan's Flight.
Taking the lessons learned from our struggle with the first manuscript, Ethan's Flight was published April 2008. Sadly my co-author/mother passed away from complications with renal failure from diabetes in late 2009. I struggled with continuing a writing career without my partner for several years. Finally in late 2013 I was able to pick up a few of the pieces, connect with our mentor from Ethan's Flight, and begin editing the massive first manuscript.
With the support of my family, the encouragement and direction from my mentor, and the comfort, understanding and demands (When is the next book after Ethan's Flight coming out already?! Haven't I waited enough?!) from readers like you helped me take the steps necessary to pick up the pen and continue.
Thank you all so much! I appreciate you all more than you know. So, I have been working on the massive manuscript to attempt self-publishing and see if I can succeed with Legacy. If the response to this is everything I hope and dream, I will take back Ethan's Flight and release the second book as well. If I don't feel the response is the best for the series, I will continue with my current publisher. Either way, there will be a second book in the near future.
I would deeply appreciate reviews left for Ethan's Flight, and Legacy From Yesteryear and any future books. I am always thrilled to hear what others think and I am grateful to continue sharing my stories with you all.
