My desk is under a window with an awesome view of the Atlantic Ocean, which is either a distraction or an inspiration, depending on the day, but either way, it makes sitting down to write worth every moment.
I am a lot of things - kind of depends on who you ask. As you might have guessed, I love to walk the beach and often bring things home with me so I guess that makes me a beachcomber. Most of the time my furry companion, Duffy, goes with me. He swims, I wade. We both love the beach and the ocean.
I'm a writer and lover of books and I belong to RWA and the Ancient City Romance Authors chapter, where I currently serve as treasurer. I'm also a mom and grandmother. I have 4 children and a step-son and 12 grandchildren. I'm a returned Peace Corps volunteer, having spent two rewarding and exciting years in the South Pacific from 2002 to 2004. I'm also somewhat of an adventurer. Joining the Peace Corps at 54 might have given you a clue there, but I've enjoyed activities as diverse as jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, snorkeling over colorful coral reefs, climbing crumbling castle towers, crawling through lava tubes, and hiking over glaciers. I love anything that flies and thoroughly enjoy spending a day at the Highland Games or a renaissance fair.
History is another passion of mine, something any of my teachers back in high school would have found unbelievable. Memorizing dates and names never inspired me, but then I discovered historical novels where the names my teachers wanted me to remember suddenly became living, interesting people with stories to tell that I wanted to hear. I love visiting historical sites and always come home with dozens of photos which I keep promising to put in an album someday. I currently volunteer at La Taberna del Gallo on St George Street in downtown St Augustine. It's open seven days a week and serves up the best sangria in town. Some nights I just go down to hang out and listen to the Bilge Rats sing sea shanties and visit with friends, some nights I dress out and work as a tavern wench. The Spanish Quarter, a living history museum depicting life in the Spanish settlement here in 1740 (150 years after it was originally settled) is currently closed but la Taberna remains open. We are all hoping that someone committed to preserving the historical heritage of St Augustine will step in to reopen it sometime later this year.
As for my writing, that's an adventure, too. The stories just need telling and sometimes my characters tell me what's going to happen instead of the other way around. During my time in the Peace Corps a number of essays about life and work in a different culture appeared in my local paper. You can read them under my Peace Corps tab. I've written several novels and hope soon to have one or more of them published as well. I've written historical romance, time travel, political intrigue, women's fiction and contemporary romance.
