I have a master's degree in education and am a retired Oklahoma educator. Mysteries have always been my favorite genre to read, therefore evolving into the preferred genre in which I write. I have had many articles, stories, poems sold to such publications as GUIDE, THE GEM, UNION GOSPEL PRESS, TRUE CONFESSIONS, HUMPTY DUMPTY, CRICKET MAGAZINE, GRIT, THE INSTRUCTOR, CHRISTIAN TEACHER, MY FRIEND, MODERN ROMANCES, MY JEWELS, and many others.\ My mother was the biggest influence in my life, encouraging me to believe I could do anything I set my mind to do. Throughout my school career, several teachers encouraged my writing. Now I write because it is a part of me. I write because I am a writer. To not write would be to deny myself.