I’ve always been writing stories.
A teacher once wrote at the top of one of my stories, “Will you come back and sign your book for me one day when you’re a famous author?” The comment spurred me on to continue writing and chasing my dream of being an author. But growing up does a funny thing to dreams, squashing them down a little bit. Making you believe they can’t really happen.
At university, I majored in English, which means I like to read a lot and to talk about what I’m reading, and write about it too. Without a doubt, college was one of the most favorite times of my life. In my senior year, realizing it was now or never, I found the courage to take a creative writing class. Due to an acute case of “imposter syndrome,” I walked into that class sure that I wasn’t a very good writer. A championing professor convinced me otherwise. Yet, to share my fiction writing with others? It seemed too bold a step.
But since college, crafting words has paid the bills. I have plied my writing skills in several industries over the years, discovering along the way that the corporate world can suck the life out of you more than any fictional vampire could. So a few years ago, I broke free from the cubicles to do freelance writing and editing, which has been a pleasure. And, drumroll please, it is through the benevolent nagging, prodding, and encouragement from my writing group, my husband, and my close friends, that I am now pulling my fiction work out of the shadows and into the light for others to read.
I am a night owl and I’m obsessive about a good cup of tea. I love horror movies and books but I’m also an admirer of classic fairy tales and folk stories. I feel most alive when I’m at a concert, be it an opera, or a performance by a rowdy rock band. I have a collection of bats. Whether they are merely figurines, or real bats, either one is entirely possible. I currently live in a gothic Victorian mansion out on the moors of England where I train my pet ravens in my free time. Or perhaps I live in the suburbs of Phoenix, Ariz. with my husband and a very cute fluffy white dog. Either one is entirely possible.
Photo courtesy of Kathleen Hill, taken at the Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention, 2019.