My desk is actually a child's desk that belonged to a cousin of mine. It is cherry wood and big enough for me to sit at and work on. I have a laptop and an additional computer screen so I can have more things open to work on at a time. I face a window and look out on a beautiful back yard so nature is there for me to enjoy. All around my desk on the walls are pictures. I purposely have pictures of my family from generations ago so that I can feel their vibes while writing. We are moving soon so I am not sure where my writing space will be, but for now it is just a small walk from my bed to my chair to my writing.

I grew up in a place called "Colby Point." A small sleepy subdivision of summer homes placed along the Fox River in McHenry, Illinois, 17 miles to the nearest store. My book "Through The Woods" is all about Colby Point. I named my book that title because to get to my grandparents house we would have to travel "over the river and through the woods" just like in the old song. I was an only child being raised by two elderly grandparents and my grandmother was in a wheel chair because of Multiple Sclerosis. I had plenty of time to myself and was encouraged to use my imagination to keep myself busy so that was perfect advice for a budding writer!

My first attempt at writing was when I learned how to journal. I was 10 years old and had gotten a journal as a present for my birthday from my step-father Marty. He told me to write down my thoughts and ideas and that may help me learn who I was going to be someday. Once I started I never stopped. It was a guilty pleasure and I was able to start writing poetry and short stories in my journals that I still share today!

The story behind "Through The Woods" is my life with my grandparents Cleo & Bill Mauer. I felt I was a very lucky little girl as my parents divorced when I was about two and a half years old and my mother went back to work in Chicago as a jazz pianist and singer. Because of the illness that my grandmother had, my grandfather stepped up and really was not only father but mother to me. He helped me bathe, and get dressed. He cut my hair and whittled me into a "fine human bein" as he would say. There were magical and mysterious events that happened to me while I lived with them. I kept those events close to me and turned them into stories that I have shared for years with my kids, grand-kids, friends and family. One day after sending out the 160th Christmas card last year with one of my stories included I said out loud "these stories should be in a book." So that is what I did. I am so happy that these stories are all in one place to share with the world!

I was scared to send my stories to a regular book publisher because of the complicated methods that a writer has to follow to even get in the door. It seems to me that book publishers are anything but welcoming to new writers. So, I decided that because I believed in my stories so much I would take that money and invest in myself. I am so glad that I did it this way as I am learning more and more about the world that is out there for self-published authors. "Through The Woods" has been so well received that I have decided that I will write 3 more books in this series of 4.

Well, I am just beginning my path with Smashwords. I have read great reviews from all sorts of writers and look forward to utilizing all the great benefits that Smashwords has to offer.

The greatest joy of writing is watching the reaction or reading the reviews or emails from the people who have read my book. I find myself every single day repeating "Maya Angelou's" quote. " people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." This is happening to me as people read my book "Through The Woods!" They "feel" my life, my stories and the magic that I was gifted to experience with my grandparents.

My fans are connections to my writing. Like a silver cord that connects each other to like-minded beings. I care what they like and what moves them. I want to know that it is good what I am doing and that these words that fight to get out of me and onto paper are going to matter and make them "feel" connected to me!

Well after a rough year in 2013 where I nearly died from a surgery that I had and an infection that I caught, just the fact that I can get up and do all the things I have to do each day is all I need. I am grateful for the dishes that I do because it means I have a full house. I am grateful for the aches and pains that I have because that means I am able to move around and walk. And I am so grateful for the ability to see and hear what goes on in the world around me because that means the entire world is a story waiting for me to write!

I have a very large family with a wonderful husband and kids and grand-kids. Life keeps me busy and I have been a health insurance agent for about 13 years so the whole "Obamacare" experience is one that I am writing about. I am working on loosing the last 90 pounds of weight in a healthy way as I have lost almost 170 pounds on my own without surgery. I am 60 years old now and life is at the end of the adventure so I am getting busy to do what I was meant to do and while I am doing that I make sure that I do not miss any of the moments!

By searching the various ebook sites. Word of mouth is always a great way I learn of a good ebook and of course being a writer we always watch what other write as that is how we learn.

Well I wrote many stories as a child and one has stayed with me called "The Dreamland Adventure." It was about a little girl who was able to travel all over the world in her dreams. But every time she did so she would be able to bring something back into the real world from the dream when she woke up. Living with her grandparents, the little girl had to hide the things she had brought back only to find out that her grandparents were able to do the same thing. It was a fun story of being like someone!

Yes it was "Misty of Chincoteague" by Marguerite Henry. The little boy and girl who were in this story lived with their grandparents on a farm in the country much like my own childhood. Reading this book made my own life feel normal.