Biography
Join My Journey
I was born in Southern Illinois where some of the Lost Seeds: The Beginning takes place. My parents and grandparents encouraged music, reading and creativity. I started playing the piano at four years old, and have a lifelong love affair with books. These propensities are with me in adulthood. Putting words to the human life around me is an innate fascination. When my children were young, I made up stories about characters that travelled around the world and immersed myself in the imaginations of Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers. I now create random jingles for my granddaughter. Follow this site for expressions, thought sharing and updates. After all…legacies live in stories.
My Work
I believe spiritual words, the sounds of music, and nature sooth the inner being. They define a place of peace. Creative writing is a way to release the soul and share myself with the world. Storytelling became of interest when my mother would take us to theatrical performances at Southern Illinois University. Camelot and The Sound of Music are some of the earlier performances I remember. My aunt was a music teacher in elementary school where we learned songs from Broadway musicals like the King and I and The Music Man. While in the Catholic high school, the nuns required that we read from all types of genres and authors, from Herman Hesse to Jane Austen, to Shakespeare, and the poetry of Nikki Giovanni.
My Community
I grew up as a preacher's kid. Watching my father care for the members of our church when sick, distressed, or celebrating their life's milestones, made me curious about how my way of being impacts others. Far beyond mere empathy. Studying Sociology and Urban Planning in college came naturally. As fields of study, it magnified a desire to make a difference in the environment and culture through involvement on community and corporate boards. Conveying important information and reflecting the social environment of the characters forms the basis of my fiction novels.
The Person
When I am not writing, I am an attorney, entrepreneur, and law school professor.