New Authors, New Series, New Me

My Life As I Know It

Hello, fellow readers!! It occurred to me that you don't know much about me. So, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about myself. I'm a native to Missouri, where the real Hell-Mouth is -- sorry, Buffy, and began my career as a writer at the age of twelve. 

Now, granted, I'm sure I did some writing before that, and I had a deep and abiding love for books since birth, but the evolution of my writing journey really began when I decided to write my first novel. I hand wrote 247 pages of my very first mystery. This was before I had a computer, and I was determined to get it all down as I thought up every word. 

I can still remember sitting at the dining room table, lined paper in front of me, extra pencils and eraser ready, and my radio belting out the Top 100 jams. Wow. I'm old, lol. 

In those days, I drew my inspiration from all of the TV series I watched growing up as well as all the books I read. Murder, She Wrote was a personal favorite. Angela Lansbury was the author I wanted to be! Like a grown-up Nancy Drew (also a fav) but with the writer's life. It was perfect. Murder, mayhem, published books, and the sleuth ready to crack the case and put the bad guy behind bars. 

Gosh. I loved those days. Reading, writing, and watching mysteries. As if life could get any better. 

Yet, my childhood dreams of becoming a teacher came first. I was seven when I fell in love with the idea of being a teacher. Papers, pens, pencils, books, learning, and helping others succeed called to me. Instructing my stuffed animals, I had them sit around the basement floor, couch, and chair to be taught. Reading from my favorite books, picking out passages in world dictionaries that were difficult for me to read every word, and writing in my "personal best" on the chalkboard gave me a complete feeling inside. 

So, I became a teacher. I loved it. I struggled over it. I worked 80 hours a week, and my health began to suffer for it. My doctor suggested I take the time to step away from teaching and focus on my well-being. It was a very hard decision, but when your health is suffering, you do what you need to do. Thankfully, I had several friends who were very supportive and understanding. 

I call myself a survivor. I went through things no one knows about but my doctor and the good Lord above. I still love the profession, respect my fellow teachers, and miss my students, but all good things must come to an end - even if it's just for a little while. It was time to take a break, and I'm okay with that because I have the opportunity to go back to another childhood love: writing.

In high school, I wrote another mystery. From start to finish, I realized I wanted to continue writing. Several ideas, plots, and characters developed. From middle school on, it was a race to write down as many thoughts and words as possible. 

When I was in college, I took Creative Writing (Thanks, Professor Hannon!!) classes. Although I detoured, those classes helped me channel all of my hopes into stories. One short story turned into a 547-page book. Then, I went in a different direction and taught. 

I left my passion behind. I forgot about it. In fact, I think I forgot about myself and who I was for a while. 

A writing contest recalled my love of writing to the forefront. I will be forever grateful to Author Anne Elisabeth Stengl and Rooglewood Press for giving me my passion back. Their consideration in reading my submissions and the attentive, thoughtful feedback from their judges was inspiring. This was an author whose books I love, and it felt magical to have this chance to come back to something which made my soul speak. 

From there, I took their advice and have since updated and published my fairy tale retellings. Every time I hear someone tell me they enjoyed my story or email me with thanks for sharing my books, it makes me feel as if I've come home. 

This is what makes my life feel whole. This is my calling. This is when I'm happiest and just myself. I can relate to any author who has to write because it's what drives them to get out of bed every day. 

Writing gives my life meaning. It keeps me alive. It keeps me going. 

Everyone should have this feeling inside of them. As if the world stops, and life changes with each word written and each character who becomes your new best friend. 

It's my hope you feel that when you read my books. Whether you're getting to know Cassie in Legend, my YA dystopian fantasy or ready to help Roz kick the beast's butt in Second Kingdom, also YA dystopian fantasy. Perhaps you're hoping for a bit of mystery, a cute PI, and the twist you didn't see coming in 7 Assassins? 

Realm Walk gives you Maezy (coincidentally named after my Aunt Mae who passed on right before this title was released) who has a gift anyone would kidnap her for and gives you the adventures you'd find only from a fantasy novel that includes elves, witches, warlocks, hybrids, mermaids, and Greek gods and goddesses. Apparently, Maezy has a lot going on in her life. Kinda like me.  

Now, I'm a self-published writer and bookseller. Why self-published? Because I enjoy interacting with my readers more closely. I love setting my own dates and timelines. I love changing things when I need to do so. I love being in charge of my own destiny. 

So, I hope you'll join me on my journey, and I hope you've gotten to know me a little better. After all, writers and readers are the best friends you never knew you needed. Well, maybe some of you did. ;)

Oh, and you know that 547-page book I wrote in college? Well, it's the first book in my new series: The Four Chronicles. In fact, The Battle is the same story. It's updated, revised, and went through an entire rewrite, but the characters and plot and meaning are the same. This historical fiction novel takes place in WWII, has a spiritual/inspirational edge, and takes the war to a fresh, personal level. 


I'm excited to tell you more about it in the next few months and give beta-readers the next chance to read it. Are you ready for it? 

New Authors I'm Excited To Read

Readers, let me tell you what, there are some books I'm loving this summer. I'm finding new books and authors to adore everywhere I look. In a minute, I'll share some sites that helped provide me with some new ones to look up, but first, here are some new books/series I think you might be interested in: 

1. This new spy series was featured in last month's blog post: The Specialists. Author Shannon Greenland is a new author who has caught my attention and is going to keep it. 

2. What do Ellen DeGeneres, Sara Bareilles, and Anna Kendrick have in common?  The fact that I loved their autobiographies more than I thought I would. Well played, Stars. Well played. Find their reads and my opinions on them here: Book Reveiw: Scrappy Little Nobody.

3. WWII fiction books have been ruling my reading list lately. Here are my Top Five suggestions on ones you should give a try:  My Top Five WWII Books: Book Research.

4. If you want some WWII nonfiction finds, I have those for you too: My Top Five WWII Nonfiction Books: Book Research.


5. Author C.S. Johnson has some books I've added to my "to-read" list. Her Starlight Chronicles has captured my attention, and I think it might capture yours as well. 

6. Author Cordelia Castel is a fantasy writer as well with her own fairytale heroes and villians. Mother's Misfortune is my first read, and I have others on my "to-read" list. 

7.  Author J.B. Lucas and his new book in the Loreticus Intrigues series is also on my "to-read" list. It's a spy novel which will have you on a roller-coaster ride. 

8. Author Annelie Wendeberg has me excited to read her book Cut from her The 1/2986 series. I'm totally ready to take on this story which has been compared to The Hunger Games and is on the Amazon's Bestsellers List.

9. I'm also excited for the sequel to a current read I just finished, Bellamy and the Brute, entitled Bellamy and the Haunting. This author took her fairytale retelling to a spooky level. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an eerie new read by Author Alicia Michaels.  

 10. Author Sarah Sudin has me intrigued with her own WWII fiction stories. I'm excited to read her books! 

11. Those of you who know me already are aware of my fascination and obsession with Author Frederik Backman's books. They're amazing!! They have sensational characters who are genuine and realistic and beautiful. My favorite, A Man Called Ove, is #2 on my Favorite Summer Reads from last year! It's definitely in my top ten books still. So, his new read Us Against You is one of my most anticipated reads of 2018!!

12.  My most awaited August release is Girl at the Grave by new Author Teri Bailey Black. This story reminds me of my own, 7 Assassins. It comes out August 7th, and I'm ready to read it now! 

These are a few of my most anticipated reads on my "to-read" list. I'm excited to start them all, and the ones I've already read have been great reads. I'm an eclectic reader and writer. I like almost every genre, fiction and nonfiction. I'm always happy to share my new author and book finds. Tune in each month to catch any new updates on my Goodreads Goals as well as some new reads I can't wait to try! 

I've Been Featured On Four Book Sites

Some places, besides Goodreads, where I find new books and authors are My Book Place, Instafreebie, The Books Machine, and Awesome Gang. 

All four sites are featuring one of my books on their promotions for authors and books. There are also a couple of interviews. Here are the links to check out those articles:

My Book Place Interview
My Book Place Featured Book
My Awesome Gang Featured Book
My Awesome Gang Interview
My Instafreebie Magical Adventures
My The Books Machine Featured Book on site, on their blog, on  their FB
Instafreebie Clean Urban Fantasy Reads
Instafreebie Cozy Mysteries 

Hopefully, you'll find some new reads while you're there! 

Do you have a dream and are you working toward it?

Feel free to share and comment! 

Thanks for joining me this month, and I will see you next month for more updates, book love, and new series info! 

Until then, as always, Keep Reading!!

Picture found online @ DaisiesHeartBook