Bio
I'm an author, a dreamer, a horse owner, and a medieval history buff. I wear many hats, but the most important one is being a loving mother and positive role model for my two beautiful daughters. When counting my blessings, I never forget my loyal husband, my very own knight in shining armor, who always supports me no matter what crazy adventure I drag him into.
I'm a fun-loving, mildly eccentric, free-spirited kind of girl with a passion for books. From an early age, I've always had scenes playing out in my head. Whether it was a story with a moral or a tale with a twist, those ideas have never let me sleep until I wrote them out.
- Yes, that WAS me on the cover of USA Today Bestselling author, Shelly Thacker's AFTER SUNDOWN with cover model Billy Freda.
- I have the best job in the world because I get to go to work every day in my pajamas (if I choose to.)
- I'm a huge Moonlight, Hawaii 5-0, Supernatural, and the History Channel's VIKINGS fan.
- The two people in the world that I'd love to meet the most would be Gerard Butler and Nora Roberts.
- My favorite drink 24-7 is coffee.
- My favorite alcoholic drink is an Irish Coffee with a shot of Baileys.
- I live on a 100 acre horse farm.
- If I could be transported back in time, I'd want to be an Irish princess who's pursued by a tall, blond, blue-eyed Norwegian Viking warrior.
- If I had the time (and the talent), I'd paint the image I have in my head of the moment my sister, Lindsey, visited me in my dreams. One day....I'll have that done - though I might have to contract the work out because I'm not an artist.
- I own a 1975 Corvette Stingray.
- My favorite color is purple.
- My favorite authors are Maggie Wells / Margaret Ethridge, Juliet Marillier, Kristan Higgins, Nora Roberts, and Diana Gabaldon.
- I love to ride horses with my family and friends.
- I could eat Graeter's Ice Cream EVERY day, Black Raspberry Chip to be exact.
- A worn out pair of blue jeans is my idea of the new black.
- I will go to Ireland and Scotland - one day! And you'll probably here me scream with uncontrollable excitement when I do.
- My bucket list never stops growing...
When I am not writing, I love to spend my time on the back of a horse, whether with my family or with my friends. There is nothing like feeling the sunlight on your face, the wind in your hair, and the power of the animal beneath you as you enjoy the beautiful scenery. Seeing the world from a saddle is, by far, the best view and the best therapy for a heavy heart or a troubled mind. My therapist's name, or my horse's, rather, was "Statues Suddenly Lucky", a full-blooded Tennessee Walker, and of course, he went by the name of Lucky for short (pictured above).
I am a sucker for a good cup of coffee (lots of cream and sugar...and whipped cream if I can get my hands on it), great conversation, and a lilting Irish accent. I love to read, and I can't resist watching great epic historical movies.
Some of my favorites are:
Braveheart
Tristan and Isolde
Beowulf and Grendel
Troy
Timeline
Some of my favorite TV Series are:
Vikings
Outlander
Tudors
Hell On Wheels
Justified
If you want to know where Ræliksen (now titled Sunset Fire) came from, then we should start at the beginning. I had been writing this story for more than 12 years, often putting it on the back burner when things would get busy. Being a mother of two and living on a farm, things tended to go that route more often than not. Come later, when I would go back to writing on it, I seemed to find that I was never pleased with the flow of the story; or that the characters were not being true to themselves that day; or that the plot was just too watery the next time I dabbled at the keyboard. I'd work on it for months at a time, only to - in severe frustration - hit the delete button and start completely over.
One day in April 2005, my beautiful sister, Lindsey, was visiting and I asked her to read the first chapter. She did and I asked her excitedly - yet with some trepidation, as I was placing myself upon the chopping block - "Well? What do you think?". Her reply, and I quote, was "I think you need to finish it." Now at the time, I thought to myself, Well, that was a safe response. And I did not think much more about it, but continued on as I had been, making no real commitment to "finishing it."
A few months later, on a rainy July morning, Lindsey was suddenly killed in a car accident on her way to school. As you can imagine, it devastated our family and left many with an empty chasm in their hearts. It was very hard on all of us, yet I had a place for the pain and the tears, for it was only a few months after her passing that I actually heard her words: "I think you need to finish it" and I began writing like a fiend.
For the first time, the words poured out of me and it was her encouragement that kept me going. Lindsey was truly my inspiration for this book, and without her "safe response" I know this book would never have been written. I am eternally grateful for her and the spark she lit within me.
So finally after three long years, Ræliksen - in its entirety - has emerged and has finally become a reality for me.
But my dream did not stop there...
On May 7th, 2010, I signed my first book deal with Turquoise Morning Press at the West Baden in French Lick, Indiana at a Career Writer's Network Workshop. It was a three-book deal of my Emerald Isle Trilogy including:
*the re-release of Ræliksen (August 2010) [now titled Sunset Fire, May 2017]
*Mac Liam (December 2010) [now titled Emerald Glory, May 2017]
*and The Fall of Rain (December 2011) [now titled Souls Reobrn, May 2017]
New York Times bestselling list, here I come!
