Thanks for visiting my website! I hope to have my novel out into the world in February 2025.
I finally feel like I have a little wisdom under my belt to write a story that’s truly meaningful.
A few decades ago, I earned a BA in Communications, CSUS with a minor in journalism, had a stint reporting on politics for the Tahoe Daily Tribune, then marketed our Seattle Italian café That’s Amore, for nearly twenty years. As a Certified Toastmaster, I found that in addition to writing, I loved public speaking. Words must emotionally “move” your audience. When speaking, I discovered immediately when I was (and wasn’t) connecting in a relatable way!
When Paul and I moved far away from family & friends to our new Kentucky home, there was a pesky voice in the wee hours of most mornings that whispered, “Get up! You have to share this story of your mother meeting her soulmate at eighty-seven!”
So, I poured over seven years of journal entries, poems, emails, and texts from my mom and Dan’s romantic and free-wheeling days together. Occasionally, I called their friends back on Whidbey Island to confirm a happening here, a conversation there. This group is now my grounding “tribe” via our weekly zoom!
My debut novel I hope, will impact many people in many ways. It’s about a time of life we put off thinking about. I get it. Even my mom still says, “Getting older isn’t for sissies!” But I had the chance to view it through the eyes of two people in love. And these two people already had a lifetime of travels, treasured friends, and accomplishments. They had zero plans of slowing down.
March of 2020, when Covid 19 was gaining traction, I accepted a position as part of the Life Enrichment Team to carry out six daily activities (exercise, brain games, cooking, art, music, and fun group games) for ten to twenty residents. I have learned so much about the human spirit and the strange and varied world of memory loss. I started a FB Group to share what I learn every day: www.facebook.com/groups/dementiainsider
You can find me rebooting my writing and clearing my head as I walk neighbors’ dogs — or when I breathe in the rolling green hills of Kentucky with my husband on two wheels. I’ll forever be on the hunt for creamy, flaky pastries!