I have a couple of projects on tap. One is to publish a book I put together a couple of years ago - "Stuff my Husband Says." He is addicted to puns and makes a lot of funny posts on Facebook and Twitter, so I pulled the best and put them in a book.

I also am working at creating a new website: Police News Blotter. This website will be geared towards presenting good news about what police do. I am greatly troubled by the current media that always shares all of the bad in the world. There are bad cops and they need to be dealt with, but we also need to acknowledge all the good done for our communities by those who have taken the role of protectors of the people.

And there is a book about dieting that I am tossing around in my head. I have fought weight issues for 44 of my 49 years. I have learned a lot over the years and I believe that I have a lot to share to others who fight this battle.

I read everything - always have. I would read while drying my hair, eating my breakfast, walking to the school bus, riding the school bus. I love a lot of authors - there are so many amazing writers out there. But top ones that come to mind (in alphabetical order) are: Frank Baum, Michael Crichton, Stephen Donaldson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Thomas Hardy, Joe Hill, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Erik Larson, Rick Riordan, J.K. Rowling, John Steinbeck, Bram Stoker, and Peter Straub ... just to name a few!

Life! There are so many things to do and I can't do them if I am laying in bed sleeping! I take a walk when I first get up - there's a beautiful world out there and I get to listen to a book while I am walking. The rest of my day is a balance between work, family, and household necessities. When I have time I fit in reading, watching movies, coloring, crocheting and jigsaw puzzles!

Recommendations from friends and from Amazon. I also seek out authors I have read before. I love the feel of a real book, but I hate dusting, so ebooks are a great compromise!

The first book I wrote was when I was 14 years old in 1980 (quick get your calculators!). It was called Pirate Princess and it was about a young woman who was taken by a pirate in exchange for debts her father owed. She starts out resistant, but comes around to love the pirate. Did I mention I read a lot of gothic romance books as a teenager?

The earliest thing I remember reading was an abridge version of Dracula when I was 7 or 8 years old. I woke up one night sure that the wrinkled sheets were really Dracula's long fingers coming for me. I love to be scared! But I don't write that kind of story.

1. The Bible - the greatest story ever written, the best heroes and villains, love, hate, adventure, wisdom - what's not to like!

2. The Stand by Stephen King: I love the sweeping scope of this book - all of the people it brings together and the exploration of how folks react in difficult times.

3. Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter: I read this as a kid and I loved her outlook on life and how she was able to affect others. I strive to be like her, though I am not nearly as optimistic.

4. The Harry Potter Books: This series was not only a great way for my children and I to come together, but it was well written and full of interesting characters, love, adventure, magic...I didn't want to stop reading at the end of the books. A great author always leaves you wanting more...what else is going to happen to these characters that I have grown to love.

5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck: Such an honest depiction of the human condition in a time when our country was at it's knees in despair.

Everything! The act of reading is pleasurable to me. I don't read as much non-fiction, but I do love biographies and books about interesting events.

I love my Kindle Fire!

My desk is a snapshot of all the things in life that are important to me. I have pictures of my children, my husband and my dad. I have postcards from favorite places I have traveled to and pictures my daughter has made for me. There are seashells and book and office supplies, my card collection, software, a paper calendar (much more useful to me than an electronic calendar), stuffed animals, candles...and in the midst of all of that a small place for my computer!