I grew up on the west side of Chicago in the 50s and 60's. As an only child, I became an avid reader and explored the world beyond my block through reading. Writing was easy for me also, and I loved the bustle of classes and extra-curricular activities in high school. So teaching English seemed to be a likely career choice. I could stay there forever surrounded by dance, drama, and books. After four years at Bradley University in Peoria, I started my teaching career. After eight years, we moved to Fort Worth and I taught English, speech and theater another 28 years, gaining a master’s degree along the way.

In 2011, I retired from teaching full time. A year later, I started writing. When exploring topics, my husband asked me what I knew a lot about. My reflex answer was "being married to you." We'd been married thirty-six years by then, and I felt that I had something to share. I explored webinars and self-publishing programs to guide me on my approach, and I completed my first book, 7 Tips for a Successful Marriage, within a few weeks. I could not, however, figure out the formatting, nor did I feel that this was the kind of book I wanted to write. I like a good story above all else. So I went on to my next book, a companion piece on bringing up my four sons: Raising the Roses. The formatting still eluded me, so I started book number three, Tales from the Family Tree. This one is a collection of short stories about family conflict. Some of them are based on my family; some are pure fiction. As you can see, my niche is family and all of my books somehow revolve around that.

Finally, in December of 2012, my husband and I figured out the secrets to formatting through CreateSpace, and published all three books within a few days. In 2015, I published a romance novel, Monday Morning Blues, because it's a genre I've always enjoyed. I wanted to write something that women my age and mindset would enjoy, unlike the influx of urban fiction and historical romances that were flooding the market.

My writing time was interrupted when my husband of forty years became ill, and I became his caretaker through a difficult year before he passed. There were weeks of adjusting to my loss and living alone, and months spent planning to relocate to be near my sons and grandchildren. Now, that I've settled in Houston, I'm ready to write again. I feel that my experience was worth sharing, so that is the topic of my latest book, Seasons: My Journey through Grief. I think I can help others who've experienced loss, and it's a story that I feel I must tell.