Meet the Author

I began writing when I was in grade school and wrote my first full-length novel when I was twelve. I grew up on the lake in Murtaugh Idaho and spent every day of my summers in the water, swimming, and catching fish and tadpoles, from sunup to sundown most days. It is not surprising that my first book was about a mermaid. 

I have always loved writing and I am blessed to be able to spend my time doing the thing I love. 

I am so happy to be able to share my stories with all of you wonderful fans.

I am heavily involved with several veteran organizations. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, where I am currently the Department of Idaho Sr. Vice President, is where I spend most of my volunteer hours. I am also involved with the Mini Cassia Veterans, an organization that provides military honors for our fallen heroes, and the POW-MIA organization whose mission it is to bring home all of our soldiers who are still unrecovered. 

When I am not writing or volunteering, I love drawing, painting, camping, hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, 4-wheeling, traveling, reading, and spending time with my family.

 I was born in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1973, but don't remember much about it, though I have had the opportunity to visit there. I very much enjoyed the Dalton Museum (I always thought I should have been born in the Wild West).   

 I moved to Idaho when I was 6 and we moved around a little bit while my parents got settled. I went to Wendell and Jerome's grade schools before moving to Murtaugh in 2nd grade. I grew up on Murtaugh Lake, my father was the dam keeper and the ditch rider. I spent my days in the lake and my nights watching football with my dad or cooking with my mom. In 5th grade, I had a teacher who wanted me to publish one of my short stories. Looking back on it now I should have done so, they do say hindsight is always 20/20.    

When I first started writing in class I hated it. I had to write their way and only their way. In the correct process, outline, rough draft, and so on. Well, I have learned in the progressing years that I am a seat-of-the-pants author, but in the beginning, I just thought that writing was not for me. I could not, no matter how I tried I could not sit and sketch out a whole story from beginning to end. I found quickly that if I just sat and wrote I could get the first draft out without a problem, but the teachers didn't want me to do it that way.

 I really began to love writing when I met Mrs. Smith and she told me that I could write it in whichever order I wanted. She understood me as a writer and didn't push me to be something I wasn't. I have been writing ever since.   

 In 8th grade, my parents divorced and my mother and I moved to Wendell where I met my late husband, Max. (I learned there that I had also known him in kindergarten and had spent time at his house. His mom laughed one time after we were married and told me that in kindergarten I had come to her and told her that I was going to marry her son...she had laughed and told me she didn't think so, I guess showed her)    

 Max had been sick when I met him with an autoimmune disease that he had been born with, at 28 he had a couple of strokes and was bedridden for almost 5 years before he passed away. I was working three jobs, dealing with a bedridden husband and two children; needless to say, I did not get in much writing time.  In 2006 Max passed away, and me and the children eneded up moving to Jerome. A little over a year later I met my current husband, Rod. He pushed me into getting back into writing and actually looking into getting published instead of just writing for me. I am grateful to have his support and the support of my children and his. Together we have 7, and I love them all dearly and am happy to have them in my life. 

 Well, that is the very short version of my life, some of which I am sure you nice people will only want to know after I am famous. ;)