A native of Georgia, I grew up in Fairburn, a small town south of Atlanta, where I began writing stories when I was a child of ten. I would sell my stories to my father for a quarter, and since I was quite a prolific writer, I managed to earn enough to treat my brother and sister to the Saturday matinee each week, as well as keep myself supplied with paper and pens and, occasionally, a new Walter Farley novel. Farley’s novels The Black Stallion, The Island Stallion, and The Blood Bay Colt were, after all, major influences on my budding talent, to such an extent, although my father never said anything, that I was probably guilty of plagiarism, however unintentional.       I possess both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English from the State University of West Georgia; and during my time at the university, I was the recipient of the Eclectic Award for Fiction, the university’s most prestigious award for prose. In addition, many of my stories and poems were published in the university’s annual literary journal.   After graduation, I moved with my husband, Chet, to Lafayette, Louisiana, where I taught high school for two years, but then I decided I wasn’t meant to teach high school (too many discipline problems) and changed to higher education. After teaching college for over 16 years, I left the classroom to devote my time to writing, which has always been my passion. 

I received the annual award for fiction at the 2003 Acadiana Writers Conference in Lafayette; I was named Author of the Month for May 2006 by South Lit, a journal of contemporary Southern literature; and my stories have appeared in a variety of journals, including Predicate Magazine, Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Journal, Toasted Cheese, Zine5, The Remington Review, Horseman Magazine, The Mariner, The Phoenix, The New Review, The Eclectic, and The Sun.