Before writing my first book, my primary writing experience was marketing-related: newsletters, press releases, brochures, and promotional articles for local newspapers or company websites. I also dabbled in intense journaling and essay musings, documents I never expected to leave the confines of my hard drive.
Fiction is a new challenge, and I'm loving it. Lots to learn.
I was able to retire early from “real work,” and I now devote a good deal of my week to writing. I’m a member of two Northern Colorado writers' groups, Penpointers and Raintree Writers' Group. I learn so much from these generous and skillful storytellers, several of whom are published authors with deep knowledge of all things writing.
When I’m not reading or writing, I enjoy scrapbooking, yin yoga, silly trips to Las Vegas, and less silly trips to Europe. Other fun activities include managing my fantasy football team (though I get frustrated every year!), relaxing evenings with friends and family, and spending time with our four kids and two adorable grandchildren—all in Colorado.
Do the right thing, and you’ll always be able to look at yourself in the mirror.
You are the architect of your own life. Keep your options open. Loving someone means trying to make his/her life better.
I try to live with gratitude for all the blessings I have and compassion for others who are less fortunate. I believe that self-improvement is a worthy lifelong goal. And authenticity is important to me – honoring my values by living with integrity, saying what I mean and meaning what I say.
I was a perfect parent before I had children. (!!)
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"Forks & Knives" was born as part of a long journal entry, a cathartic release. In 2003, despite being happily married to my second husband, insomnia visited me regularly. My brain pushed and pulled, working through hurtful and confusing memories that defined the rocky journey of my first marriage and its ultimate demise. The finished document sat inside my computer, unread, for seventeen years.
When I retired in 2021, I revisited the document, hesitantly. “Is this worth reworking into a novel? Would anyone care about this?” I asked my best friend, my husband Stephen, to read it. Bonus for me: He taught American literature for more than twenty-five years (!), so I knew I could trust his opinion. Happily, he confirmed, “Yes, it’s good. You should work on it.” Then he introduced me to Brian Kaufman (www.authorbriankaufman.com) and Penpointers, the Northern Colorado writer’s group that Stephen had belonged to years before I met him. Over the next year and a half, my self-focused monologue transformed into a work of fiction that would appeal to people outside my immediate circle of friends and family. At least that’s my hope.
Whenever I mention what this book is about, I'm invariably met with, "Yeah, my mom was a drinker," or "My son was sober for a while, but . . ." There are millions of stories like mine out there -- people who have loved/lived with alcoholics/addicts and struggled to hold on through the pain. But there are ways we can help and support those we love without losing ourselves. This novel alone can't help those still working through those dark days, but maybe some of the resources here can play a role.