My Writing Journey

I'm so glad you're here!  It's been a really exciting time in my life and I can't wait to share it with you. 

It all started on October 31st, 2008 (you got it - Halloween!) when I read a book that my mom suggested (OK - I know what you are thinking - a book your MOM suggested < blech>).  But she was right.  Yes mom, you can quote me on that.  I was hooked - I didn't want to leave the world that the author created.  The next day, I sat at my computer and started typing.  In less than two weeks, I had accumulated 83 pages.  At that point, I wondered, "What the heck am I doing?"  I walked away and went to Disney World for a week with my husband and kids.  Cause I'm cool like that.

So January rolled around, literally, I mean all those holiday goodies really pack on the pounds.  So, because it was winter and I happen to dread winter, I returned to those 83 pages and thought, "Gee, I think I've got something here."  Then I sent it to a friend (who also happens to be a published author) and his reaction shocked the poop out of me (he liked it - REALLY liked it!).  I quickly registered for the conference he recommended (BYU Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers).  And in the three months that remained before the conference, I finished writing The Reservoir (338 pages) and edited it.  Twice.  Then I packed my things and left my family for a whole week <<boo-hoo>> NOT.  Anyway, the conference was awesome - I highly advise aspiring writers to attend it.

So, here I am now...telling you about my experience and hoping that as I type these words - or as you read them - an agent or editor is reading my manscript and is so excited about it that they are fumbling to dial my number.  Well, not fumbling.  We want them to get the number right.

Future Endeavors

I keep a writing journal close at hand at all times!  There are opportunities for stories all around us.  Most of the time, the ideas flood my brain while driving my three daughters to their activities.  I often find myself tossing a notebook at my kids.  "Write this quick!"  I'll tell them.  Usually I can't decipher anything that was written since my 5 year old can't spell yet...  <<sigh>>  I guess I should invest in a tape recorder.

Rest assured, those stories float around in my head and when I'm not sending The Reservoir to agents and editors, they manage to sneak their way onto paper.  Among them: Sasha and Michael's story, a dystopian ya novel; "57 Morel Lane," guaranteed to be a thriller; and "Elizabeth Draffin," a novel that is sure to raise you from the dead!