My fascination with the written word started began with a diary when I was in grade school, although my entries were rather sporadic. In junior high, I discovered pen pals and wrote to several regularly. We often exchanged letters weekly. I continued writing to my pen pals throughout high school and college, and averaged 6-7 pen pals at any given time. In college, my interest in writing became more formal when I declared my major as Composition & Linguistics. I spent a great deal of my study time writing research papers.
After couple of years after college, I obtained a Paralegal Certificate. During my eight years as a paralegal, I used my writing skills by crafting Answers to Interrogatories as well as drafting Complaints and various other legal documents.
My interest in writing fiction didn't begin until 2006 after a nudge from the Lord. I had been making up stories to occupy my mind while my kids had violin lessons, soccer and baseball practice, etc. One day, I was thinking about one of these stories as I walked through the neighborhood and a thought crossed my mind. "Why don't you write them into a book?" My next thought was, "Gee, I never thought about that before."
So I started writing, but not without a great many doubts, including "Is this an early mid-life crisis?" I was so uncertain about whether I would be able to accomplish my goal that I didn't even tell my husband what I was doing for six weeks.
God steadily led me along the writing path. After I finished my first draft, He led me to a wonderful critique group and a couple of critique partners (I'd never heard of either before joining several writing forums). These lovely ladies helped me hone my writing skills and rework my story. I can't thank them enough!
From the time I first began to work on my novel, I knew that if anything came of my efforts, it would have to be a God-thing. And it has been. It has been an amazing journey, full of doubts, anguish and joy. But God has faithfully sent affirmations and encouraged me along the way as I revised my manuscript, then revised it again, then tweaked it some more.
I am still at awe over the way He led me to literary agent, Terry Burns, and my head is still spinning as I try to market book #1, Peril, as my editor Ramona Tucker of OakTara prepares book #2, Conspiracy, for publication, and I start writing book #3, Revenge.
What a journey God has set me on; I can't wait to see what He has in store for me next!