I have always been a writer. Every stressful, boring, or exciting situation in my life I handled with the help of pen and paper. When my husband and I decided to pack up our three small children and move across country from North Carolina to Washington so that we could both return to college—I wrote. After I attended one quarter at the University of Washington and discovered that I was pregnant with our fourth child—I wrote. As I went about my busy life filled with schoolwork, children, bills, housework, and all the other time-stealing activities usual to a woman who was juggling family and college—I wrote. Writing was my refuge, my therapy, the one thing that could return me to the world of the sane when things became overwhelming. I didn’t understand how or why, but I knew it was necessary, and often fun! I didn’t feel the need to share what I wrote with other people until I finished writing the three books of Behold the Eye trilogy. That’s when I found out that the books had minds of their own and refused to remain in solitary confinement. They demanded to be published, to be read, to be shared. Braumaru, the eldest of the three, wouldn’t shut up about publishing. I tried to make Braumaru understand. I said, “No, it isn’t necessary to publish. You should just be happy that I wrote you.” That is when Cerulea butted in and said that it was not fair that they would not be published. They could only live if they were read. I replied, “Life is often not fair. Besides, I’ll read you.” Viridia just glared at me. “Don’t look at me that way,” I said defiantly, “publishing is a lot of hard work! I have other things I need to do.” I fought long and hard, but I was outnumbered. Just between you and me, I’m glad I lost the battle to those bossy little books. They were right. In case you are interested, I probably should mention that I was reared in Memphis, Tennessee, but I have traveled across states and across career fields. I have sold artwork to businesses, produced web content for a high tech company, performed story time as a Children’s Librarian…and taught 6th graders how to be safe on the Web. But the most fulfilling of all are my times at home, where I enjoy the title of Mother (and sometimes Mommy, Mom, or even ‘Hey Lady’). But no matter where I am found, at home, office, or library, I know and understand the value of reading and writing. I truly love books, and want to share that love of books with others. I have a Master of Fine Arts in Creative writing, a Master of Library and Information, and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. I live in Seattle with my family, who are just enough short of perfection to make life interesting.