About Me

I grew up writing poems, stories, and devouring books. I had a passion for history, which was evident in any book report I was ever assigned. I poured through hundreds of books about ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages, the Elizabethan period and into the Victorian eras. I was fascinated with the past and always imagined being able to go back in time, to experience the great civilizations and eras that came before us. Much of my writing does just that, ventures back, to eras that managed life without cell phones, computers, or the luxury of central air.

I left my hometown in the 80's era of big hair and rock bands to attend college in Iowa, where I majored in English and Journalism. I returned to Southern Illinois to attend S.I.U. and be closer to my family. I left my passion for writing behind and changed my major to Business and Criminal Justice, planning to attend law school after graduation. In life, things rarely work out the way you plan. After a whirlwind romance in my final year, I married and settled in for the long haul of law school. We had it all planned out - graduation, law school, the bar, then we would wait for me to make partner before we started a family. I know, ambitious, but it was a plan by two kids with big dreams in our pockets. Several months later, I was expecting our first child. Needless to say, that little surprise changed everything. We eventually settled in Missouri where I spent the next three decades raising six wonderful children, a spastic Jack Russell that drives me crazy, and a Shih-Poo afraid of her own shadow.

With only three moody girls left at home - I write to maintain my sanity, even though a busy house makes the effort difficult. Since my home is only quiet in the wee hours of the morning, I settle in to write when the house is dark and completely quiet, usually between midnight and five a.m. The hours might not be ideal, but I've managed to pen 13 books, split into four different series. Two of those series will soon be in print. The others are in the midst of edits. So if you happen to run into me and notice the wild look in my eyes, don't panic or run away, I'm harmless - just existing on huge doses of caffeine and thirty years with no sleep.