Hi, glad you could stop by to get to know me better. I’m a country girl, born and raised on a farm in the Outer Bluegrass region of Kentucky. I know you’re thinking horse farm, but no, not out my way. Mostly cows on the farms around here. My grandfather did have a big old workhorse when I was a little girl. My family grew tobacco and corn. We had a few milk cows, some hogs and sheep, but mostly beef cattle. I grew up working on the farm and enjoying the woods and animals. My roots go deep in the land, and I now live on a farm just a mile away from the farmhouse where I was born and raised.
I started writing when I was ten and have been writing ever since. My first published writings (personal experience pieces, youth stories, and poems) were in church periodicals like Home Life. My first novel, A Forbidden Yearning, a historical romance about the settling of Kentucky, was published by Warner Books in 1978. Since then I’ve published over thirty other novels for adults and young adults. Some of the early titles are out of print now but still floating around out there as used books.
My husband and I were both very young when we married, but we defied the odds and are still married all these years later. That could be because we went to church together and were committed to the Christian life. We are blessed with three wonderful children who picked some great people to marry and now we have nine amazing grandchildren I spoil every chance I get. I used to say I was my grandbabies’ wind-up grandma toy. But then I wondered if I should change that to push-button. Does anybody wind up anything except maybe a committee meeting at church these days? Now push-buttons are going out of style too. Everything is touch screens these days. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with the times.
I’ve been going to the same small country church since I was seventeen and I used my memories of how the church used to be in my Heart of Hollyhill books. My church was established in 1812 and it’s inspiring to think about all the people who have served the Lord there. While I’ve been a member, the church has never had a big congregation, ranging anywhere from 20 to 80, but over the 200 plus years of the church’s existence, many have passed through the doors, made decisions for Christ, lived and loved and prayed. It makes me think of Hebrews 12:1 and that great crowd of witnesses.
I like walking in the fields and woods, finding wildflowers and spotting birds and wildlife while trying to keep in shape. I’m crazy about dogs and have had many furry friends over the years. My long time special dog friend, Oscar, got bone cancer and passed away last year. A very sad time for me. Oscar was a great lab mix who was abandoned in a nearby town. We got him from his rescuers. He was the best dog ever and kept me company on my walks and in my office while I wrote. I had many of his friends on my Facebook author’s page crying with me last October.
But then in November my granddaughter talked me into going to the Humane Shelter to look at a dog. I came home with Frankie, a mix of crazy and sweet. He has done wonders to drive up the step number on my Fitbit. My patience has been tested often with his energetic and headstrong ways. But he’s a beautiful dog and I’m confident that someday he’ll stop being a puppy and be a great writer/hiker dog.
And I do love to write in my office with big windows all around. Writing is what I’ve always wanted to do. The desire of my heart is to tell stories to readers like you. Thank you for reading!