I’m a romantic at heart, and have been forever. I began reading romance novels my senior year of high school. “A Rose In Winter” by Kathleen Woodiwiss was the first I ever read, and it swept me away. I read mostly historical romances for many years. My book “Once Upon a Masquerade” is a tribute to that genre I love so much.
More recently, I’ve discovered an appreciation for paranormal romances. I read “A Hunger Like No Other” by Kresley Cole and was completely wowed. I loved the intensity of the relationship between the hero and heroine. After devouring several of these books, I had stories of magic and adventure rolling around in my head. My current work-in-progress has jumped into this genre, and I’m having a ball.
I’ve always envied those that say they knew they were going to be a writer from birth. To have that kind of conviction, that certainty of your goals in life would have been a relief to me. I grew up in an extremely small town in Wisconsin (Stratford) – very rural, lots of dairy cows and corn fields. And I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.
I attended the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, and majored in mathematics. Even then I had no idea what the future held.
After graduation, I did what everyone else did in the 90′s…I got a job as a computer programmer. I married my college sweetheart and moved to the Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ten years later, I decided that life in a cubicle, even if it was by a window, didn’t agree with me. I’m fortunate that by then my husband could support us on his salary, and I quit my job to stay home with my two daughters. Summers are great. I only wish we could have afforded to take that step sooner.
Most days my kids are in school, and I type away at my computer. I began writing before I quit my job, and I must admit my desire to write pushed me to find a way to do it more.
I am now a member of the Romance Writers of America and a Twin Cities writing group, the Midwest Fiction Writers. These organizations have been amazing. I’ve learned so much and met many wonderful people. If I have a say in it, I’ll never go back to days without writing and writer friends. I’m home.
