I am an author living in Smithfield, Virginia. My life as an author began with writing a simple rhyme to accompany a collection of photos of my dog’s first year.  After that, I used more photos of Jazzy to create more children's books.  There are thirteen books in my Jazzy’s Books collection. (Two are still in the editing phase)

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Besides books for children, I write novels. I have three that are in various states of completion.

I belong to two wonderful organizations that introduced me to other authors and educational resources.  Check out the links above for the Chesapeake Bay Writers and The SCBWI. 

Self-publishing is not the easiest way to be an author. It is the path I chose. Would I say no to traditional publishing? Not at all.

 Writing is not as solitary as many portray it to be.  Sure, the actual writing of the words can be done alone, anywhere. My dream is to be in an air-conditioned cabin near a lake in the spring. I would write as long as I wanted to.

With that pipe-dream out of the way, I can say that, though putting words to paper is a personal journey, getting those words out into the world takes a team.  In traditional publishing, the team is already made for you. As an independent author, you have to find your own team members.

My team begins with my hubby.  He tells me whether my idea is a good one or not. He often edits my words too. Then I ask friends to tell me if the book works. Critiques come next. I find other people that tell me what they think works and what they think is bad. They answer important questions like: “Do my words work? Is my plot plausible? Are my characters realistic?”  Etc.

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I have been writing books for four years. I am happy to share my knowledge of self-publishing.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. 

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