My first ideas about romance and love came from watching my parents. Some of my earliest memories are of them holding hands as they walked down the street, seeing them tickle each other and share knowing glances over the heads of their four children. They celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary this year and are still going strong!
When I read Pride and Prejudice, I was hooked on romance. Not only the love, but that delicate play, that torturous ride two hearts take before they finally give in. Jane Austen's premier novel and Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing helped shape my ideas about how love should be: fierce, fun and full of wit.
I started reading romance novels as a young teen and while the more...scandalous... bits certainly made me blush, it was the love that really touched me and I honestly believe it was that idea of love that saved me from making many poor choices throughout my adolescence. My husband is my one and only, my everything, and a daily source for me when writing my heroes.
So, that's the skinny on the love part. Now, about the drama. I like to think I have a healthy taste for adventure, and nothing helps the heart along like a little adrenaline. History is my greatest source for adventure and drama. Pick a place in any western civilization and there is bound to be volumes full of drama that defies belief. Whether it be the conquering heroes of medieval Europe, the daring privateers of the golden age of piracy or the cowboys who shaped the last frontier of America, history is rife with romantic conditions.
From an early age I read and observed, read more, and then wrote. And wrote. And wrote. I still have notebooks and binders full of stories from as young as kindergarten. I won contests all throughout school. I went to college to be a writer. All of my life I've written, and I have no intention of stopping. Before now, my stories were meant for friends and family. After years (literally...years) of being pushed and prodded to publish, I have decided to give it a go.
I don't write to live. I write to entertain. I hope that each story you read of mine does just that. My only disclaimer is that I have self-published these books, and though I take my responsibility as an author very seriously (revising endlessly for months and editing repeatedly), I apologize for any errors and beg forgiveness for my use of artistic license where it pertains to history. I've made my stories as historically-accurate as the genre allows.
If you're interested, please click on the link below to follow my many ramblings as I stumble through the writing process. I would love to hear any feedback as well. Feel free to email me and I will endeavor to answer every message!
