Wisful Origins

Origins blogfest hosted by DL Hammons of Cruising Altitude, Katie Mills (Creepy Query Girl), Alex J. Cavanaugh and Matthew MacNish  (Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment).

How I ended up here...

I always loved reading. I loved library days at school best, and my mother took us to the public library every week. What started me wanting to create my own stories was a teacher who read to us at nap time--Willy Wonka, James and the Giant Peach, glorious and imaginative adventures.

A shy and quiet person [still am], my parents sent me to horseback riding lessons, hoping I'd find the courage to be more extroverted. Horses were my passion. Little old me could make half ton creatures dance. I had special connections with many of the horses. One would follow me around like a puppy, his nose pressed against my cheek. Therefore, it is not surprising my first attempt at writing was a story about a horse. I was 8 and remember his name was Wesco, but not much else about it.

Then my grandmother gave me a hard bound copy of Anne of Green Gables. Oh, I loved that book. I still have it. Other stories--not about horses--started playing in my head. I didn't always write them down, but I kept creating them.

I majored in Journalism in undergrad, wrote news for the college radio station, and, gravitated toward advertising and marketing. When I could, I'd write fiction, dreaming of writing the next great American novel.


I moved to New York City, sold advertising to network TV stations, did some other marketing jobs, started a novel, which I still have, about coming of age. Many lines were about loneliness, which a friend teased me about for years to come. It's where Semper Audacia came from. I told her two years ago I was going to rewrite "Alone" in space. So, I did.

I moved to DC, worked in TV, the business side. Would write when I could. Started another novel with Player Piano as the inspiration. Never finished that one either. I got laid up with carpal tunnel, in danger of losing the use of both of my hands. Life took some wicked and wrong turns among the good ones.

Husband and I moved out west to Oregon. I was floundering, unhappy, didn't know what to do with myself next. My mother said on the phone one day, "You were always good at writing, go write me something." So this next phase where I write prolifically and actually finish many works began.

Last year I released Plantgirl, Translations, Small Graces and Semper Audacia. This year I'll be releasing The Backworlds, Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge and The Augmentation of Hetty Locklear. The Tumbas will be coming out in the Wandering Weeds anthology, too.

However this all turns out, I'm doing what I was always meant to do. Writing and finding the observatory have made for a happy life. If everything before was necessary to end up here, it was worth it.

When did your need to write begin?