Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}             I was born in Brooklyn, New York, in the summer of ’73. Being the oldest child of Juney and Beverly Nelson, I often spent time alone on in my room for inflicting some type of torture on my younger brother Tyree. During that time I discovered escape through fiction. I remember my mother bring home stacks of books for me to read, she was an avid reader herself. Among them one of my favorites was “Are you there God? It’s me Margaret.” by Judy Blume. Although I grew up in a family of preachers and deacons that book was my first real introduction to God. Because of this I began my own “Are you there God?” journals. I wonder where they are today. And as I’m writing this I’m considering starting those journals again.               My love for words and expression showed itself publically when I was in Boys and Girls High School (that was actually the name of the High School) in Bed-Stuy. I performed a monologue, to audition for the drama club, from the collection of poems from For Colored Girls Who Considered Suicide when the Rainbow Was Enuf by Ntozake Shange. After my performance I was praised and told I should be on stage, but that wasn’t where my heart was. The reaction to the performance made me want to write and have people entertained by my words and how I strung them together to form images in their minds. I wanted to paint pictures with my words.                           I have always been a lover of words. I love the idea of getting lost in a world I created with characters that eventually took on a life of their own. What would they do next? How would they react to this or that? Someone once told me that the characters we (as authors) create are an extension of who we really are. What some things that are unacceptable in society could be held as acceptable in the world of fiction. That was a scary thought. My characters in my debut novel, If it don’t hurt… It ain’t love, exhibit a variety of personality traits and emotions. They range from the meek to the insane. Is that really who I am?               Currently, I am working on my second novel. I live in Central Pennsylvania with my children and my loving, supportive husband Kevin. I am blessed.