Getting To Know You...

...Getting to Know All About You...I think that's the way the song goes. And I'd much rather get to know you, than the other way around. But my publisher at BWL believes it's time for all her authors to tell their readers something about themselves. So here goes...

I'm not exactly what one would call an introvert, but it's hard for me to be outgoing, and meet a lot of people that I can call my friends. I expect that is because, as a child, from the age of 8 to 12 I traveled all over the US, Mexico, the Philippines, and even Alaska. I spent the first 8 years of my life on a Quarter Horse ranch out in the middle of nowhere, Texas, USA. Then my father, who was in the Army, started being posted to...wherever.  Sometimes, the only school was the one on the base, and even when I was able to go to public school, I always tried to be the one who sat in the back of the room, and never raised my hand to answer a question. I knew that just as soon as I made one single friend, we'd be off to a new post.

Finally, my father was posted to Los Angeles, CA, and we actually stayed there! Besides horses, the other love of my life as a child was singing. Once we got settled in LA, my mother found a voice coach for me, and seven months later, I was performing professionally. I sang in Musical Theatre...you know, all the GOOD music of yesteryear, from Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Kathryn Grayson...and if you are too young to know these names, you are really missing something! I also studied Opera, and at 16 was invited to audition with the San Francisco Opera Company, but my mother was working and couldn't go with me, so she wouldn't let me go alone.

The next best thing to happen was that at 16, I sang a duet with Frank Sinatra on stage at the Greek Theatre in Hollywood. There was a big concert at the Greek, for a Heart Charity, my musical troop was invited to sing, and Frank Sinatra was also there. He was asked to sing with one of us, and he chose me. We sang "Make Believe" from the Broadway musical "Show Boat." A very exciting time for me, and my one and only claim to fame!

At 19, a throat tumor ended my singing career, so I did the next best thing, and married my fiancé of a year. When my children were 7 and 12, I went back to school to finish my education, and completed it with a Ph.D in Sociology. Then, as life makes many changes, my husband and I divorced. A year later, I remarried, and will be celebrating 37 years of "almost" bliss with my awesome husband this June.

During those 37 years, my husband and I built a ranch and trained Appaloosa horses for the show ring, for 25 years,  I became a professional artist, and now we are retired...supposedly...and I am a writer and author of four books.

Writing is a lonely profession, but my biggest supporter, and my greatest inspiration is my husband. Sometimes, I get tired of this computer. I get tired of fighting with my characters who won't do what I want them to do. But he says, get back there and tell them who's boss. You can do it. I know you can. So here I am...BWL has published four books, I'm working on the sequel to the very first book, The Freedom Thief...and you know what? You have just read practically my whole life's story. Not the most exciting one in the world, but I hope you haven't been too bored.