I spent my earliest years in Northeastern Kentucky. By the time I was a teenager, my family had moved across the river to Southern Ohio. I was one of five children and we lived on a farm in a very rural area. We had a commercial poultry business with over 30,000 chickens. We each had daily chores and quickly learned a very strong work ethic.
Our nearest neighbor was nearly a mile away; there were no cell phones and telephone companies hadn't yet been deregulated. Long distance calls were expensive and only made in an emergency. Our phone was a phone party line that we shared with a dozen other neighbors. I rode a school bus 13 miles to school every day and it was long distance to call any of my classmates. I loved school - it was my escape!
Summertime was spent working on the farm and occasionally hanging out at the area lake where all my friends went daily. There were no local libraries, but the bookmobile from the county came once every two weeks. I would check out enough books to last until the bookmobile made its return. Once I began reading a book, my mother would be hard pressed to get me to do anything around the house until the book was completed.
Although that would seem to have been a miserable childhood, I have fond memories of family, classmates and more innocent times. Having lived and had responsibility at such an early age taught me a wonderful work ethic and gave me a "never give up" attitude. It also provided me with many stories and insights to fall back on in my writing.

Initially,I thought I first started writing in 1992. I had a large family (at that time nine children). One day one of my friends was having a terrible time controlling her children (she had four). She made the comment, "I don't know how you do it."
That afternoon, I was thinking about her comment and realized that I did have a lot of information and experience to share. Perhaps even some funny things that would let other mothers of young children realize that that stage of life isn't forever. Things and circumstances change and yes, you can do it. You can make it.
Looking back, I now realize that I began writing much earlier than that. I had been gifted at an early age with writing skills. Math was another subject. Throughout high school I had been the news reporter for every club that I had been in. I wrote columns for each club every month for the school newspaper. I don't know how that fact escaped me all those years, but it has continued throughout my life.

The main characters in my books are always in trouble. They start with the best intentions, but somehow something goes awry and they are left wondering how they got into that mess. My latest installment is a retake on the old story of "Stone Soup." Only this time it translates into trouble for the three brothers and their dog.

It has given me the opportunity to publish my works online. I have waited for the right opportunity to be able to have my work published and available to the public.

Karen Kingsbury, Jody Piccoult, John Grisham, Beverly Cleary., Also, I enjoy reading all the authors who have books on the Sunshine reading list. Those authors are from the State of Florida and vary year to year, but they always have great stories.

Although I still work and am required to get up each morning to go to work, my husband, Bruce, has been my biggest inspiration. He always is encouraging and nudging me to continue. Also, my ten children, now grown, have families of their own. If I ever thought I would run out of writing inspiration when my children matured, the grandchildren that I now spend lots of time with, continue to provide me with new adventures and stories.

I work at the front desk in a large medical office. We see nearly seventy-five patients plus family on a daily basis. I get to observe all their behaviors, good and bad, I also spend lots of time with our grandchildren. With ten children and seventeen grandchildren so far, I usually have a quilt to sew or an afghan waiting to be crocheted.
When my husband and I need to get out and enjoy quiet time, we will usually go out to eat and then drive down the scenic highway overlooking the emerald green waters of the Gulf of Mexico and watch the waves come ashore, or we might drive to the local general aviation airport and park near the flight line and just watch the airplanes come and go. Bruce has been a pilot for many years and we enjoy the calm and quiet atmosphere.

I usually will get an idea in my mind and mull it over, sometimes for weeks, thinking about what I want to say and how to go about that process. I usually will start with my main characters and how I want the story to begin.
Next I will think about how I want the story to end, although that may change as the story progresses. As the story unfolds I try to add layers to each chapter and then build upon that. For instance I start with the characters, the setting, the conflict. Next I may add the red herring to keep the story line from unfolding too quickly. As the chapters continue, I will add to those layers, finally coming to the conflict resolution and conclusion. Then the editing begins!

Although I have always enjoyed reading, the earliest recollection I had was the Nancy Drew books. I also read the Bobsey Twins. I couldn't get enough of them. This was perhaps when I was in the third or fourth grade. At that time there were probably more than one hundred books in the Nancy Drew series and any time that I got one, I would read it without stopping, often from cover to cover. I borrowed them from the library and friends alike. Sometimes I was lucky and would get them for gifts.
I think that at that early age I saw girls who were both pretty and smart. Nancy was the lead character, and although smart, she wasn't afraid to rely on someone older and wiser. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery element and her ability to solve the unknown secrets.

I know how I want my characters to look. Many of their escapades are based on actual events that have happened to my children. Although some may have been enhanced, they are generally true stores. As I write, I have the picture of my sons, who did those things, in my mind. I know what they look like and that is how I perceive my characters.. As I write, pictures of my children go through my mind. My characters go from one adventure to the next. The cover design is simply one of those events with the main characters added to the picture.

My greatest joy is the personal satisfaction of knowing that I have written something,start to finish, and that it is something that others can read and receive enjoyment or encouragement.