About Me

I’ve always loved stories, telling them and listening to them.  My novel of historical fantasy, The Peaceweavers, was a direct result of my studies in Old English and Old Norse languages and literatures during the course of my Master’s degree program at the University of Nevada, Reno, in the 1990’s.  The story of Beowulf captivated me, as did all legends and histories of ancient times.  While translating the Beowulf poem for classes, I began to feel an urge to fill in the gaps in the story, to flesh out the characters, to explore motivations and answer the “what if” questions that kept popping into my head as I tracked down the meaning of a particular word or phrase in the language.  Eventually, The Peaceweavers was the result.

During a teaching stint at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas, I also found myself interested in poetry and began to write poems.  Some were collected in chapbook form, Paean, which was published by Finishing Line Press.  Subsequently, I became the poetry editor for Red Rock Review.  I was honored to work with a number of outstanding, nationally recognized poets in that capacity.  I hope the experience taught me to be a better poet.  My second chapbook, Green Philosophy, will be published next year by Folded Word.

I’m retired now with more time to write than I’ve ever had, and still it isn’t enough.  There’s never enough time to spend on all the other projects I have in mind.  One that’s especially important to me is a memoir of my mother, centered on the recipes she collected over a lifetime.  Her recipe box passed to me when she died.  Mama’s Recipe Box will be both cookbook and storytelling.  I’m looking forward to working on that project in the coming months.

I’ve always loved to write.  I remember reading, a long time ago, that a writer should pick a certain type or genre of writing and stick to it.  I’ve never been very good at doing what I’m supposed to do.  I’m stubborn that way.  I write what appeals to me at the time.  I write because I am compelled to write.  Different compulsions result in different kinds of writing.  I recently began a new kind of writing, a garden blog, Garden, Forest Field, which has been much more rewarding than I expected.  I hope you find something to your taste on this writer’s showcase.