I'm a history nut who loves to learn about how people lived their everyday lives in the past and to ask "what would happen if?" I also like to imagine how different people see the same situation (which was why I had so much fun telling the story of the Wizard of Oz from Toto's point of view!) While I grew up in the Chicago area and think the city boasts the most loyal sports fans in the world, it's also stuck with some of the worst weather. Now I live outside of Baltimore, a fun town that is in close proximity to a lot of other fun towns, all with their own unique personalities. I have a law degree, but I'd hate to think that's a major influence. At the moment, I am just about to end the period of my life where most of my time and energy centered around the lives of my kids, so now I get to rediscover myself. The prospect is exhilarating and maybe a little scary, too.

This is the bragging category - not my favorite. I did manage to put down my beer long enough to graduate college, and at the time that was a pretty significant achievement. I have some minor awards for things like writing humorous fiction and coaching jump rope. I was certified as a personal fitness trainer, but as the teacher pointed out when I took the class, being certified doesn't mean you're qualified. And I did pass the bar exam, which my husband says is the first bar I ever passed without going inside...

Recently, I got the rights back to some of my out-of-print books, so I am starting to self-publish those. The first two Karen Maxwell mysteries are out in ebook now and I just finished and released the third book and that's in print as well. I also put out two of my Christmas stories in print form. At the moment, I'm working on a YA Christian urban fantasy and I hope to get my historical novel Restitution into ebook form soon.