As is probably obvious, I was born.
When and where is irrelevant, except that it was a long time ago—long ago enough that I’ve accumulated a husband, several children and grandchildren, innumerable pets, and nearly as many gray hairs—all of which I adore.
Along the way I picked up a B.A. in literature, an M.A. in creative writing, and a Ph.D. in rhetoric and composition, as well as a few thousand students, whom I also adore.
Additionally, I’ve lived in many different countries and states and had experiences that, if they hadn’t happened to me, would quite frankly be unbelievable. Along the way I’ve picked up a pilot’s license and my own motorcycle that I’ve ridden over 60,000 miles.
Some of these experiences show up in my books. They give me something to write about, besides what pops up in my imagination.
One constant in my life has been the desire to be an author—an author, not just a writer.
My first real attempt was in the fourth grade when I tried to write a book about a mermaid but didn’t get past the first chapter.
Undeterred, in the sixth grade, when my elementary school principal asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I stoutly proclaimed that I wanted to be an author. My teacher, the saintly Mrs. Opal Owen, encouraged me by making me the editor of our class newspaper. It was to be the first of quite a few publications for which I’ve been an editor.
Over the years I dabbled in writing books and short stories. I’ve actually had four or five stories published in national and international magazines. I’ve also published chapters in a couple of academic books.
The one disappointment up to that time was that, although I received some awards for novel manuscripts that I wrote, none of my novels were published.
Somehow, though, it never occurred to me to give up.
Then finally, just as I was heading off to teach a class, THE CALL came from Kate O’Sullivan at Houghton Mifflin offering me a contract for The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival: Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone, released June 2009.
It has received some great reviews and awards including (to date):
- Edgar Award finalist (Mystery Writers of America) 2010
- Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choice, fall 2009
- Junior Library Guild Selection, July 2009
- Best of 2009, the Children’s Hour
- And a few more best of 2009 lists.
Petronella has been a great start but she’s not finished yet. Oh, no. Petronella is just getting started. Her second adventure has already been written and is awaiting a publisher and her third and fourth adventures are underway. Stay tuned!
And Petronella isn’t the only book I’ve written. Here are a few plots (look on my book page to see the titles):
· The harrowing adventures of a mother and daughter who are trying to escape a tyrannical and abusive husband/father…riding a motorcycle across country. Feel the worry and fear as they dodge the villain and enjoy their exhilaration as they travel cross-country through some outrageously beautiful scenery meeting outrageously interesting people, all on just two wheels. A story of courage, spunk, and mother-daughter bonding.
· Ever been flying? Well, if you haven’t, you’re missing something and, if you have, you’ll thrill to the memories as you follow Maddie as she learns to fly and negotiate romance at the same time. Catch the addictive pleasure of floating above the clouds in a world far away from the hustling-bustling world we live in.
· Déjà vu! Or not. What if you had visions of things that were to happen but, instead of seeing just one event, you see several options and you cannot tell which will actually come true? And what if you learned that you could act on events to try to tailor the outcome to match the future that you most wanted to happen? But, to make that difference and strive for a happy ending, you have to learn how to control the gift of fore-knowledge and you haven’t been able to accomplish it alone. And then Nicholas enters your life with his complementary gifts and the two of you are off running a hair-breadth ahead of those who want the two of you so they can use your gifts for highly questionable purposes. Grab your hot chocolate (if it’s cold outside) or lemonade, cuddle up with a blanket or puppy on a couch, and dig in.
There are others in the works as well so be sure to check back often to see what’s up and coming.
While I still feel like I’ve just started, I think I can safely say I am definitely a writer.
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