For as long as I can remember I have always loved reading and writing. I remember being a teenager reading historical romance novels under the covers with a flashlight. I believe Captive Bride by Johanna Lindsey was one of my favorites. I loved that while the heroines needed to be rescued, they were still strong and determined. And as a young teenage girl, the hero riding up on his mighty steed was very appealing. I also loved being whisked away to some far away place.
I think my love for reading and writing came from both my grandmother and mother. My grandmother was an English Teacher and shared her love for reading, writing and poetry with me and my mother. I remember my grandmother had bookshelves full of Barbara Cartland books. I got my hands on those, too. And of course my mom encouraged me to read and write from an early age. My mom still has the first book I ever wrote about my two little black hens.
Writing and story telling always came naturally to me. Being an author seemed liked a far fetched dream. So I channeled my creativity in a different direction. Journalism became the road that I traveled. When I was in high school I wrote for any outlet I could find. I wrote for our yearbook, restarted our school newspaper, joined an explorer post for journalists and wrote for our own hometown newspaper. All of those things fed my career and I went off to college to study Mass Communications and Marketing.
And that led me to a great career in marketing communications. But, my love for writing stories never went away. One day one of my girlfriends told me that she had discovered that there was a national organization for romance writers and people like Nora Roberts, Heather Graham and Catherine Coutler all belonged. Get out of dodge!! AND they even had a local chapter in our area.
I remember the first meeting I attended at CNYRW. People introduced themselves and I was surrounded by published and aspiring authors. Talk about being star struck. And so it began. My journey to becoming a published author. This group of writers was amazing. They shared so much knowledge and encouragement. I would never be where I am today if it wasn't for them. I owe them so much.
And here we are today. I have 5 romantic suspense novels published and I'm working on my next book. In addition to writing romantic suspense, mylove for historical romances has never left. I am also currently working on a romantic pirate triology. Who doesn't love those naughty, sexy swashbucklers.
It is my hope that I can give back and help other writers. It's a crazy, frustrating and amazing industry. I have learned so much over the years and continue to learn more everyday. So if you share a love for reading and writing. Stick around. We have so much to talk about and share.
