If not for my mother, AnnaBelle, I'm not sure I would have taken the final steps of completing my first book. I made a promise to her that I would finish the work I had started. Because of her faith in my writing, I did just that. Sadly, she passed away before the book went to print, but I know she shares in my sense of pride.

     My first published book, "The Journey, The Dreams, & AnnaBelle", follows her life as well as that of my Grandparents, and myself. I have just completed my second non-fiction manuscript, "AnnaBelle's Spirit". Thanks to AnnaBelle and her gypsy spirit my life was full of fun, surprises, new places, new faces, and never ending adventures as we moved at her every whim. I added family photographs to both of my books to bring the characters to life for my readers. She was such a beautiful woman, I wanted to share her life with others. Though her's was not an easy life; she suffered through two failed marriages, and raised my sister and me on her own. Yet, her dreams kept her motivated. We have lived in Valparaiso, In., St Petersburg, Fl., McArthur, Oh., Jeffersonville, In., and Indianapolis. I was married in Indy. After my marriage, AnnaBelle continued to explore new places, such as Philadelphia, San Francisco, (where she was associated with the DiMaggio family), back to Indiana, living in Indy. Her last move would be back to her beloved St. Petersburg.

     Thanks to this woman, Annabelle, I have had the inspiration to continue with my writing. Her interest and my dreams, have kept me going. Being in love with love has kept me on a path of constantly seeking something that probably doesn't exist. But I will continue to look. I have made some choises in my life that have hurt the ones I love, and have left me with haunting dreams of what could have been. We cannot control the lives of others.