From the time I was old enough to string letters and words together and understand that they Meant Something, I was reading and creating stories. On any given day, my mother could find me wedged into the space between my bed and the wall, lost in the pages of a book or penning myself into my latest read as an obviously overlooked character. (I still consider myself an unofficial member of the Rohirrim.) In 6th grade, my writing won recognition and I knew without a doubt what I was called to do.

By the time I graduated high school, my heroes included Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Christiane Amanpour, Peter Jennings, Jessica Savitch and Dennis “The Animal” Price (the photographer on Lou Grant). Lured to the Dark Side of journalism in college, I focused on broadcasting, a choice I would later come to regret when the field proved too photogenically competitive for my taste. Professionally, I returned to the written word, specializing in promotional materials, newsletter and copywriting to help keep the bills in check.

In 2002, desperate for an escape from tragedy and chronic health issues, I turned to fan fiction. Truthfully, I’d been writing fan fiction long before then, when I’d saddled up and rode to victory in the Battle of Pelennor Fields. But now I freely played with well-loved characters, taking them beyond the boundaries set by their creators and honing my craft as I did so. It was fun. It was educational. It served as a proving ground for me as an adult writer, even winning a few internet fan fiction awards along the way.

Since then, I have entered several writing competitions, (no wins), tackled NaNoWriMo twice, and responded to numerous writing prompts, creating vignettes and short stories which I have shared on a previous personal blog. I have revised those stories, and they appear on my Bits and Bobs page.

I’m currently working on another short story, and contemplating my first novel.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.” Maya Angelou