I was born and raised in the San Francisco's Bay Area but have since traded in the busy city life for the laid-back lifestyle of southeastern Idaho. I love the gorgeous scenery of southeast Idaho, but I especially love the friendly people! Aside from loving to read and write, I love playing sports, especially tennis. I love watching romantic comedies, as well as TV shows that mix drama, suspense, and romance.
As for writing: Many people ask how I got involved in writing. Well, I got involved in reading. :) Ask any writer and they'll tell you they love to read. Ever since I can remember, I've been a voracious reader. Even as a teenager, I knew that some day I wanted to write and publish novels of my own.
To that end, I soaked in everything I was taught in my English and creative writing classes in junior high and high school. I loved getting assignments to write poems or short stories because I took particular enjoyment in putting words together in ways that would touch or move a reader. When I graduated from high school, my love of writing was put on hold when I went to Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) in Rexburg, Idaho, and got my degree in Preschool Education.
After I got married and was busy raising children, my thoughts started to turn back to writing. Being a busy mom with young children made it more difficult to get away from home, so writing was something I could do while my children napped or played. I started writing every chance I got, and I loved it. Then came the Internet. So much information opened up to me as a writer. I started researching writing techniques online, learning about how to get published, and how to become a better writer.
Then one day, just for fun, I did an Internet search for my then favorite TV show, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Imagine my surprise and delight when I learned there was a whole slew of fans out there who had websites dedicated to the show. I even found some websites that hosted something entirely new to me, something called "fanfiction," which are stories written by fans, using the show's characters. I was hooked. I read all the Lois & Clark fanfiction I could find, and even decided to write some of my own. Sixteen stories resulted in the following five or so years, and it has been such a fun way to try new writing techniques and build writing skills. During that whole process, I met many wonderful people who also happened to be fans of the show and avid writers. Fast friendships were formed, writing techniques shared and discussed, and stories (both fanfiction and original) were critiqued and developed. To be honest, I've probably learned more about writing from my Lois & Clark fanfiction writing buddies than I've ever learned from anyone else. They helped turn my writing into a passion for me instead of just a hobby. I'll be forever grateful to them.
As far as original fiction goes: While I was writing fanfiction for enjoyment, I was always working on a novel at the same time. I wrote and shopped around three different novels to national publishers and agents for years, but then got lucky and had my first LDS novel published! I was thrilled, but I always tell people who ask about getting a book published that the process isn't for the faint at heart. I have enough rejection notices to wallpaper my house. It wasn't easy--I had to really develop thick skin--but it taught me to keep honing my skills and, most of all, to never, ever give up on my dream of being a published novelist. I hope that "Between the Lines" will be just the beginning of many books to come!
