I believe growing up in coal mining country in Virginia influenced my writing more than any other factor.  As a child I wrote stories about my classmates whose fathers and brothers worked in the coal mines.  I saw the day to day struggle of getting enough to eat and having sufficient clothing to wear to school.  The teachers kept a clothes closet for those in need. I became an elementary school teacher and later a librarian. The final years before retirement were spent as a college librarian.  In that capacity I taught children's literature which was one of my most enjoyable experiences The desire to write was always there but I kept putting it off until retirement.  I may never have brought it to the forefront if I had not been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.  I had trouble sleeping and I decided to use that time to begin writing. Ten  years later I have written fourteen books and well into numbers fifteen and sixteen. I've gone into the world of children's books.  What a fun and rewarding task.  I have three on the market as of September 16, 2016. I am thankful to have grown up in the Appalachians, rich in history.  My experiences and contacts as a teacher and librarian gave me the skills to express these life influences in my writing.

BS degree in English from Radford (College) University.
Master of Librarianship from the University of South Carolina