I wrote my first poem at age fourteen called Flying Free. It's about a bird flying away from all its pain, hurt and finally being free to live its own life. (I am the bird) Being a poet and writer is definitely in my blood. But shamed by the childhood I lived, I became a cook & cater for nearly three decades. I continued to write poetry and in journals until repressed memories at age forty-five sent me to my hometown police department. It was then that I put nearly thirty years of writing into multiple manuscripts ready to be published.
Yes, along with my two part memoir, I also fictional short stories based off real life events. Saving Halloween is one I wrote and dedicated to my ex in-laws.
For a brief moment, I did. In 1990, I won a poetry contest selected by Ed McMahon. It was then that I realized how ashamed I was of people knowing about my past. I passed on the award and took my first job as a cook.
