Age nine, I wrote a story about my Girl Scout Brownie troop that was published in local newspaper. Although spelling was still a problem in school, I wanted to be a journalist!

While exploring a character in England post-Waterloo, I began to wonder about persons living in the area of Waterloo. Suddenly I felt the fear of a girl hiding in disguise while chaos raged nearby...that was my first glimpse of the main character in what turned out to be my third novel, Ashes of Waterloo. I could not ignore her plight...the vision was so compelling, it gripped my writer's imagination.

Am inspired by historic events and become curious about people who lived in that era. I like to pretend that my office is an English cottage. However, coffee shops, airports, medical waiting rooms and in the car on a lapboard have also served the purpose. Listening to music when I am working on a very emotional scene aids my writing...special favorites are Mozart and Beethoven piano concertos.

Successfully capturing the essence of an event or emotion! The best thing about my author journey so far has been hearing from a reader who says, "I loved your book, I couldn't put it down!"

Any work by Charles Dickens...for deep characterization.
The Calamitous Fourteenth Century...for the use of historical detail (non-fiction)
To Kill A Mockingbird...for the intriguing cover and wide-eyed innocence of the main character
Any work by Jane Austen...(abridged versions) how the strict rules of society affected lives
Any work by Jo Beverly...for the style and characterization

Finishing a couple of works in progress...one set in the Victorian west and one set in Scotland and Yorkshire. The past is a murky place, full of intriguing shadows...who knows what I will find there?

Enjoying family and doing genealogy research.

The Doctor Doolittle series...I can't remember the exact one...our grammar school encouraged us to get a library card. While sitting on the floor in front of the children's books section (it was a small library), I browsed the shelves and found them. I can still remember the sense of joy and anticipation as I carried that first book home to read.

Inspired by pictures and colors, I am easily carried away by them. However, the conflicting advice and the warnings about genre-specific expectations of readers confuses me greatly. Some say, they will read a book recommended to them and the cover is meaningless in that instance. Who knows?

History...because I am always researching.

My computer.