Normal 0 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";} Sheila is an independent author who enjoys writing for the sake of writing.     Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* 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";}   Sheila Rae Myers began writing poetry and short stories soon after graduating from college. She considers her first attempt at writing a novel a complete failure. In her words, "I failed to listen to my English professor's sound advice. I was writing to put words on paper, but I wasn't writing about topics for which I had a passion." She began to feel that novels with a detective as a main character would be the perfect way to combine her interest in the crime solving process and the desire to create unique characters and plots. That combination proved to be the key to the completion of several novels based on the life and career of Detective Jake Stalb. As a novelist, she enjoys creating new characters and situations which reflect life in the real world. Unlike many of the novels in the crime and mystery genres, the novels in both the Detective Jake and Special Crimes Task Force series incorporates stories about the detectives which show what their lives are like beyond the limited scope of their jobs. These subplots relate the struggles and successes of the detectives and their families. In their entirety, her novels relay the process of solving the crimes as well as the personal lives of the main characters as a way to demonstrate there is more to the life of the detectives other than catching the criminals - that there is a life beyond the badge. Although her goal is to eventually be able to stay at home and pursue writing as a full time career, Sheila currently works for a printed plastics company during the day and accomplishes most of her writing in the evenings. Her training and experience includes ten years in the military medical field and earning a B.S. in environmental science. While she doesn't have any hands-on experience in law enforcement, she states that "in-depth research into that field adds realism and believability to my novels." She also enjoys a variety of other activities including reading, researching her family history, walking in the woods, camping, and bowling. One of her favorite things is the opportunity to watch the wildlife which often moves through the yard of her semi-rural home.