Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore ? or to put a fine point on it ... How did I become a writer ?

I didn't start out wanting to be a writer. I mean does anyone really?

We all learn to write in school. We do it in some fashion or other our whole lives. I personally never once woke up at a tender age with a burning desire shouting YES I will be a writer.

What I have always wanted to be was a storyteller.

It must be the Scotch Irish blood in my veins or maybe it's just the allure of a truly good tale told on a dark and stormy night that has always drawn me in like an old friend. Ever since I was a little girl listening, reading, imagining, exploring and telling stories has always been an important part of my life. My family had a huge library and I was always surrounded by books.

It must be why I love to travel so much because when you return home from some
far off place or traveling adventure. You always have a good story to tell.

I had a million plans as a kid of all the things I wanted to be when I grew
up. Yet somehow life always seemed to put me under a bridge of responsibility having
to do a great many other things that really needed to be done first.

Necessity may be the mother of invention but sometimes it can be a real drag. I have no regrets though. Not a single one of getting married or having our three beautiful children.

I do believe though that when things get in the way of your best laid plans, it's usually life's subtle way of saying - That's a great idea but I think I have other plans for you so why don't you just do this for a while until the time is right.

Well, the 'write' time ( pun intended ) came in 2007 when my family and I went through a huge transition and we moved out to western New York. My husband is convinced that my innate gifts and spirit actually began to take wings after he took me to Ireland and I kissed the blarney stone. But like any good Irish lass, I'll never tell. ( wink )

My husband and children seemed to flourish in western New York. Which is really
code for no longer needing me 24/7. At which point I found myself looking in the mirror saying, " Well what are you going to do now, kiddo ? ".

One thing about moving around a lot is you're constantly taking inventory of what you have. Which usually entails weaning out what you no longer need on a frequent basis. Which in turn usually entails taking frequent stock of where you've been in your life.

While unpacking some of my books and journals in 2007 I came across a number of poems and stories that I had attempted to write long ago. I even found one of my high school journals in which my creative writing teacher wrote A+ " I can't wait to see you when your older to see what you write - KEEP WRITING ".

An ominously inviting portent from the past.

Suddenly it hit me. What I really needed to do was to get creative again.
Suddenly, like at no other time in my life I had found my burning desire.

So I started to write.

The more I wrote, the more I knew I needed to learn more of the craft.
The more I learned, the more I felt alive. Shortly thereafter many wonderful
doors seemed to just open up for me. It's been an amazing
whirl wind ride so far.

Now I simply can't imagine ever doing anything else. It would be like
asking someone to stop breathing.

Yes Toto, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore.

Biological Data

I was born in Connecticut where I went to school for my early years. Tried business school and decided I'd rather learn the business of living instead. Went traveling all over with my high school sweetheart in the military and graduated top of my class in the Army Military Intelligence Academy. I worked at the National Security Agency for a while but came home when I got pregnant with our first son.

I've been married now about 25 years and we have three beautiful boys. When I'm not dodging sword fights, mini terrorist wars, alien invasions, being an EMT or just plain being an all around referee, I have over the last 20 years spent quite a bit of time learning to take care of and provide for our oldest son, who is Autistic, coordinating programs for him, kids like him, and trying to stay abreast of all issues pertaining to Autism.

We as a family like to think of ourselves more like Gypsy's than not. We're a tight little tribe unto ourselves and we're fiercely supportive and protective of each other. As part of this little tribe we also have 5 cats and 2 dogs who all somehow think that they are
the one's in charge.

I hope I keep on writing until I reach a ripe old age. Even then I am just stubborn enough to try to keep writing from beyond the grave.

Well, why the hell not !!

It's such great fun. Everything about writing paranormal romance is alluring. The reluctant hero who is more like the heroine's true hearted hero buried deep within his own darkness standing by her side but he's also everyone else's most terrifying nightmare.

In a paranormal romance you can take love to its extremes. Your dealing with intense characters who have the soul ( or soulless ) abandon of being beyond all the rules and they love in the same way.

Intensely, deeply and intimately.

Paranormal romance is where your characters find love in the same ways that they exist. Darkly, eternally, with great fierce feral abandon and in an intimate dance of timelessness. Now who doesn't want to be loved like that ? In complete and utter sweet surrender.

Besides, like every good heroine. I'm always up for a good fight .. if the fights for love.

I think that as we grow as writers learning our trade and craft that it is important that we find our own voices.

Along those lines of thought I have always been partial to writing poetry. It's just part of who I am.

Travel
Movies
Cooking
Blogging
Italian food
Photography
Chocolate everything
Retail therapy - preferably at
Borders or Barns and Noble
A good book to read - Sherrilyn Kenyon,
Nalini Singh, Anne Rice, Christine Feehan,
Nora Roberts, Dan Brown or Stephen King.

Go back to Vices ;)