Having a father in the Communications industry,
my family moved a few times from my birthplace
in Springfield, Missouri. I grew up in St. Louis
and Nashville, and finally ended up in Charlotte,
North Carolina where I live with my fiance, John.
I've always loved to write. In elementary school,
my friends and I would make little "books" out of
squares of notebook paper stapled together and
write stories in them - sometimes illustrating them
too.
It seems like in a group of people, I'm always the
one quietly observing everything going on instead
of planting myself in the center of things. Not
that I'm anti social -- I'm not -- it's just the way I
am. And actually, it's been invaluable to me as a
writer to fall back on these observations of people
and places and things throughout the years. Many
writers are thoughtful observers.
What do I get out of writing? Besides the fact that
all you really need is a pen and a tablet (which
will go anywhere), it's a great creative outlet. It's
also a wonderful form of self expression and an
extraordinary, ongoing learning experience about
many things, including myself.
I’ve been writing for over ten years. My first novel,
The Starfish People, won the silver medal in the
science fiction/fantasy category of the 12th annual
Independent Publisher Book Awards 2008 (IPPY).
Other published work includes a “Best Short Story
of the Year” Award-winning short story in
Hodgepodge, a horror story in Dead of Night,
and three contributions printed in Dark and
Stormy Rides Again—the book compiled by Scott
Rice from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction contest.
Between 1993 and 1995, I wrote several human
interest articles and many humorous columns for
the Lincoln Gazette, a section of the North
Carolina newspaper, Gaston Gazette.
My second novel, The Rendering, has been newly
published and is available on major online
bookstores.
my family moved a few times from my birthplace
in Springfield, Missouri. I grew up in St. Louis
and Nashville, and finally ended up in Charlotte,
North Carolina where I live with my fiance, John.
I've always loved to write. In elementary school,
my friends and I would make little "books" out of
squares of notebook paper stapled together and
write stories in them - sometimes illustrating them
too.
It seems like in a group of people, I'm always the
one quietly observing everything going on instead
of planting myself in the center of things. Not
that I'm anti social -- I'm not -- it's just the way I
am. And actually, it's been invaluable to me as a
writer to fall back on these observations of people
and places and things throughout the years. Many
writers are thoughtful observers.
What do I get out of writing? Besides the fact that
all you really need is a pen and a tablet (which
will go anywhere), it's a great creative outlet. It's
also a wonderful form of self expression and an
extraordinary, ongoing learning experience about
many things, including myself.
I’ve been writing for over ten years. My first novel,
The Starfish People, won the silver medal in the
science fiction/fantasy category of the 12th annual
Independent Publisher Book Awards 2008 (IPPY).
Other published work includes a “Best Short Story
of the Year” Award-winning short story in
Hodgepodge, a horror story in Dead of Night,
and three contributions printed in Dark and
Stormy Rides Again—the book compiled by Scott
Rice from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction contest.
Between 1993 and 1995, I wrote several human
interest articles and many humorous columns for
the Lincoln Gazette, a section of the North
Carolina newspaper, Gaston Gazette.
My second novel, The Rendering, has been newly
published and is available on major online
bookstores.
I've been influenced by many different genres and
authors from an early age. As a girl, I loved classics
such as Little Women and Black Beauty, and
mysteries such as the Nancy Drew series. These
were all fantastic books that opened wide the door
to the awesome world of reading.
As I grew older, I read books by Jules Verne,
George Orwell, John Irving, Arthur C.
Clarke, John Grisham, Stephen King, Dan Brown,
and Maeve Binchey - just to name a very few. Over
the years, I have enjoyed such an eclectic group of
authors and works, and have gotten something
valuable and unique from each one.
As an author now myself, it is a privilege to have
written something that perhaps others can enjoy for
years to come.
Bio
A Short Philosophy On Writing...
It’s important to me to create characters that are both compelling and realistic, and I absolutely believe that
each of these qualities play off the other. My characters must be people with whom we can identify, or who seem
somehow familiar.
An ideal hero or heroine should have weaknesses to temper their strengths, and an ideal nemesis should have
qualities other than pure evil to make them believable. Good and evil are not starkly black and white, but have
many shades in between - and it can surprise us when those different levels are played out within a story where
different situations, personalities and circumstances are thrown together. Just as in real life!
That’s what I find so exciting about writing a story. No matter how focused you are, no matter how solid the
bones of it are already in your mind when creating the thing, there’s a point when your characters come to life
and take over. They tell you what will happen next, insisting in their own voices that either “yes, what you’re
writing down there is right on target,” or “nope, that’s just not what I’d say at all.” Maybe that sounds a little
out there - hearing voices in your head - but consider that if the writer can’t hear them, neither will the readers.
I try to be responsible when I write. Although there must be negative tension — and yes, there must be or it is
likely to be bland and totally unbelievable — I do not like leaving a reader mired in it. I want to help them pick
themselves up and dust themselves off afterward and think, “There’s hope in this world after all.”
It’s important to me to create characters that are both compelling and realistic, and I absolutely believe that
each of these qualities play off the other. My characters must be people with whom we can identify, or who seem
somehow familiar.
An ideal hero or heroine should have weaknesses to temper their strengths, and an ideal nemesis should have
qualities other than pure evil to make them believable. Good and evil are not starkly black and white, but have
many shades in between - and it can surprise us when those different levels are played out within a story where
different situations, personalities and circumstances are thrown together. Just as in real life!
That’s what I find so exciting about writing a story. No matter how focused you are, no matter how solid the
bones of it are already in your mind when creating the thing, there’s a point when your characters come to life
and take over. They tell you what will happen next, insisting in their own voices that either “yes, what you’re
writing down there is right on target,” or “nope, that’s just not what I’d say at all.” Maybe that sounds a little
out there - hearing voices in your head - but consider that if the writer can’t hear them, neither will the readers.
I try to be responsible when I write. Although there must be negative tension — and yes, there must be or it is
likely to be bland and totally unbelievable — I do not like leaving a reader mired in it. I want to help them pick
themselves up and dust themselves off afterward and think, “There’s hope in this world after all.”
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Book n.a set of
written sheets
bound together
into a volume
Mark n.a
conspicuous object
serving as a guide
for travelers...
written sheets
bound together
into a volume
Mark n.a
conspicuous object
serving as a guide
for travelers...
