Born
and raised in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, I spent my formative years
reading
books and writing poetry. While in college, I saw a movie based on the
life of Jean Laffite, a gentleman pirate who helped Andrew Jackson win
the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Intrigued by the mysterious, I
researched
then started to write a novel about Laffite. Graduation, career, and
marriage
put that manuscript on a shelf where it remained until I began working
as a school librarian for seriously emotionally challenged teenagers. I
returned to writing to relieve the stress inherent in working in
special
education facilities. During a boring staff meeting, I wrote about a
caped
figure who crossed the Scottish Highlands during a fiercesome storm.
After
twelve years and numerous revisions, that kernel of an idea blossomed
into
my first published novel, The
Scottish Thistle. I'm currently working to complete that pirate
novel started many years ago while researching another novel set in the
Dust Bowl of western Kansas or Texas during the Great Depression.
During
my senior year of college, one of Mom's friends introduced me to a
young
man who attended my high school seven years before I did. Not only had
we lived on the same street as children, but he delivered our
newspaper,
his mother taught my Sunday school class, and I went to school with his
youngest brother. Tom and I married a year later. We celebrated our
twentieth
wedding anniversary by moving from Maryland to Kansas.
I
never know when new adventures will arrive on my doorstep. Soon after
we
vacationed in Austin, San Antonio, and Fort Worth, Texas in 2002, Tom's
company offered him a transfer to the Fort Worth area. Little did we
know
then the trek we would take to reach our new home. Instead of moving
directly
from Kansas to Texas, we drove to Maryland a week after the 2003 snow
storm
hit the East Coast. Shortly before our twenty-fourth wedding
anniversary,
we headed to Texas. In May we moved into our new home, which includes a
library to house my collection of over 1,000 books.
Having
retired from library work, I pursue my dream. My passion for research
and
a desire to make history more interesting inspires me to write
historical
novels intertwined with love stories. Amber Quill Press re-released The
Scottish Thistle, my first novel, in November 2006. I write a
monthly
maritime history column entitled Pirates
and Privateers. I review books for Historical Novels Review
andPirates
and Privateers. I teach online courses and in-person workshops
on the maritime during the Age of Sail, the history and culture of the
Scottish Highlands, writing historical ficiton, and self-editing. I'm a
freelance editor, as well as a Content
Editor for Pyrates Way Magazine.
I also write an editing column for The Historical Novel Society's Solander
magazine, of which I am an associate editor.
My
mother fondly refers to my three younger sisters and me as her “Little
Women.” I hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Towson University and a
Master’s
Degree in Library Science from the University of Maryland. I'm a member
of the Clan Cameron Association, EPIC, The Historical Novel Society,
The Laffite
Society,
Scottish Clans of North Texas, the Louisiana Historical Society, and
the
National Maritime Historical Society. I love to
read.
My favorite authors include Stuart Woods, Clive Cussler, Leon Uris,
Nigel
Tranter, James L. Nelson, Steve Berry, and LaVyrle Spencer. When I'm
not
reading or writing, I like to watch professional bull riding, collect
Teddy
bears/foreign dolls/Kachinas, and do jigsaw and crossword puzzles. I
also enjoy listening to Celtic and bagpipe music,
instrumental
jazz, and country music.
If you'd like to read more about me and my writing, I
recommend these interviews:
Perhaps it's my Welsh heritage,
but I've
always liked
dragons.
I recently discovered a quiz that
identifies my
Inner
Dragon.
To learn more look beneath the sleeping
dragon.
Shhh!
I am a White Dragon. An apparition of balance, power and reclusive
intelligence.
I like to think things out, plot against
enemies,
and gaze upon the world from the highest mountain peaks.
Favorable attributes: the Day, the Sun, truth,
a positive
attitude,
helpful magic.
Humans only need fear me when they stray into
my domain
without proper
tribute
-- a strawberry pie the size of a Volkswagen.
I am a peaceful dragon.
Since I breathe Fire and Lightning, I make a
most
impressive opponent. Even the nicest dragons can do some serious damage.
Born
and raised in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, I spent my formative years
reading
books and writing poetry. While in college, I saw a movie based on the
life of Jean Laffite, a gentleman pirate who helped Andrew Jackson win
the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Intrigued by the mysterious, I
researched
then started to write a novel about Laffite. Graduation, career, and
marriage
put that manuscript on a shelf where it remained until I began working
as a school librarian for seriously emotionally challenged teenagers. I
returned to writing to relieve the stress inherent in working in
special
education facilities. During a boring staff meeting, I wrote about a
caped
figure who crossed the Scottish Highlands during a fiercesome storm.
After
twelve years and numerous revisions, that kernel of an idea blossomed
into
my first published novel, The
Scottish Thistle. I'm currently working to complete that pirate
novel started many years ago while researching another novel set in the
Dust Bowl of western Kansas or Texas during the Great Depression.
During
my senior year of college, one of Mom's friends introduced me to a
young
man who attended my high school seven years before I did. Not only had
we lived on the same street as children, but he delivered our
newspaper,
his mother taught my Sunday school class, and I went to school with his
youngest brother. Tom and I married a year later. We celebrated our
twentieth
wedding anniversary by moving from Maryland to Kansas.
I
never know when new adventures will arrive on my doorstep. Soon after
we
vacationed in Austin, San Antonio, and Fort Worth, Texas in 2002, Tom's
company offered him a transfer to the Fort Worth area. Little did we
know
then the trek we would take to reach our new home. Instead of moving
directly
from Kansas to Texas, we drove to Maryland a week after the 2003 snow
storm
hit the East Coast. Shortly before our twenty-fourth wedding
anniversary,
we headed to Texas. In May we moved into our new home, which includes a
library to house my collection of over 1,000 books.
Having
retired from library work, I pursue my dream. My passion for research
and
a desire to make history more interesting inspires me to write
historical
novels intertwined with love stories. Amber Quill Press re-released 
My
mother fondly refers to my three younger sisters and me as her “Little
Women.” I hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Towson University and a
Master’s
Degree in Library Science from the University of Maryland. I'm a member
of the Clan Cameron Association, EPIC, The Historical Novel Society,
The Laffite
Society,
Scottish Clans of North Texas, the Louisiana Historical Society, and
the
National Maritime Historical Society. I love to
read.
My favorite authors include Stuart Woods, Clive Cussler, Leon Uris,
Nigel
Tranter, James L. Nelson, Steve Berry, and LaVyrle Spencer. When I'm
not
reading or writing, I like to watch professional bull riding, collect
Teddy
bears/foreign dolls/Kachinas, and do jigsaw and crossword puzzles. I
also enjoy listening to Celtic and bagpipe music,
instrumental
jazz, and country music.
