My mom's frequent admonishment (said in frustration to a daughter who never paid a lick of attention) was "get your head out of the clouds!" Of course, since my head was already there, I didn't listen. The clouds were a great place to kick back and contemplate all manner of fantastical things. After a time, my parents allowed me to make a temporary home there, as long as I came back to reality long enough to do my school work and chores.

I did eventually float down out of the clouds. Left home and started a family. Worked to make my home and its denizens secure and happy. Like many things in life, it's an ongoing project. My husband of 18 years still makes my heart beat faster, and my teenage son seems to like me all right, so I count myself fortunate and blessed.

After moving to Arizona, I realized that what I really wanted to do was write children's books. So, I wrote. And studied. And wrote some more. My first attempts are buried deep in a drawer (where they will likely remain) and it wasn't until I decided to connect with other children's writers that was I able to look at my work honestly.

Suddenly it wasn't short stories I was writing, it was novels. Novels I had to force myself to end, or the characters would go right on living out the entirety of their lives to my pen (or keyboard strokes) long after anyone cared to read about them. But there was something there. Something tangible, like when Billy first sees the raven he's carved. I could look at my work and recognize something rough but full of promise. It wasn't perfect, but it was undeniably mine. And more importantly, it could be improved upon!

After spending eight years whittling away at the craft of writing, I understand there is always more to learn. More to perfect, or tweak, or tighten, but it's that driving need to create that keeps me going. Writing has become an extension of my inner voice blended with the voice of my characters. It's difficult to not sound a little loony when I say my characters literally "tell their tales." I can be anywhere . . . walking to the mailbox, trying to grab a few hours of sleep, or in the midst of a complicated project at work, and suddenly there is a gentle tapping (or insistent thumping) and a particular voice will speak up. Like a treasure hunter, I then have to hunt, dig, and explore to get at the truth of a character.

And those little truths are everything. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I try to remind myself daily that life is a living dream that we shape with every word, thought and action. The best advice I can give is the mantra I try to follow: work hard at shaping your dreams into the most colorful, passionate, and honest experience that you possibly can--then share that truth with others!

Happy Reading!