I blame my mother for my writing addiction. More accurately, I thank her for introducing me to the magic of using my imagination to create worlds and people. From an early age, she taught me how to cultivate and use the imagination I was born with. By the second grade, it was well enough developed to get me into trouble at school. More than once I had to be recalled from the alternate worlds my mind transported me to.
In the beginning, I brought my stories to life by enlisting my sister or my friends to act them out with me using dress-ups, paper dolls, and Barbies. As I got somewhat older, the idea of putting my stories into words was sparked when my mother attended a writers conference and began writing stories of her own. I had been an avid lover of books since I was old enough to sit in my mother’s lap and beg her to read book after book to me for as many hours as she would tolerate. I realized that rather than only enjoying books others had written, I could write my own for others to enjoy. My desire to become a writer had been born.
This desire matured when I entered a short story contest hosted by the public library and won first place for my age group. The librarian called me the next J.K. Rowling, and I went from liking the idea of being a writer to feeling it was my calling in life.
From that time on, it became unusual to find me without a pencil or notebook on my person. I took creative writing classes in school and started numerous novels, though most of them never got very far. When I wasn’t involved with writing or schoolwork, I continued to seek inspiration by reading the literary masterpieces of others. The works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, C.S. Lewis, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, Baroness Orczy, and J.R.R. Tolkien were among my favorites.
It wasn’t until college that I actually finished a novel. Between working hard to earn my degree in elementary education and planning my next Scarlet Pimpernel themed party, I was inspired by my roommate to begin what would later become Gateway to Aviandria.
Besides reading and writing, some of the things I enjoy doing in my free time include playing the violin, practicing archery, and costume design. Perhaps my favorite activity of all is spending time with my family creating our own story.