About the Bard
As a child, I didn’t dream of becoming a writer… I did write all the time, so perhaps I already was one. I do credit my love of stories to my mother, with whom I used to read great stories.
Where writing fiction is concerned, I actually got my start writing zombie fiction. I enjoyed exploring what happened to the human condition when humans experienced existential threat. From writing horror, I tried fantasy, then fell in love with historical fiction after reading Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and James Clavell’s Shogun.
Then, I wrote, and wrote, and wrote. I had short fiction published, wrote novel-length works, and regularly penned poetry. And, I came down with an unhealthy dose of imposter syndrome. When I was training to be a certified book coach with Author Accelerator, I learned how to work through my imposter syndrome enough to publish my first novel, The Red Fletch, in 2021. Then, the imposter syndrome came roaring back.
The next time I dealt with getting rid of it, I got rid of it for good by realizing that writing is my purpose in this life, and since I believe that humans have souls and that souls are the divine part of ourselves, I came to the understanding that my soul would never send me into this life with a purpose I wasn’t meant to do. (This, by the way, doesn’t mean there isn’t always more to learn. I have two masters’ degrees in creative writing and am still learning all the time.)
In 2023, I published the second book of my Heroes of Sherwood series, Outlawed. Meanwhile, I’d been working on a different story for years. Born out of the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, Daughter of the Seven Hills was, to date, the darkest story I wrote (even after that zombie fiction!), though it contains a thread of hope. After publishing it in 2024, I needed to try something a little lighter, so I wrote and published The Golden Apple in 2025.
I won’t say I’m finished experimenting with genre in my writing, but I seem to be settling back toward the flavor of Daughter of the Seven Hills, though perhaps a little less dark in theme. At present, I’m working on a story that takes place in the 15th century, in Florence, Italy, in the midst of the Renaissance. I also continue to write poetry and occasionally, short/flash fiction.
When I’m not writing, I’m usually hanging out with my corgi, Beatrice aka Trixie, or reading, painting, baking desserts or breads, walking by the beach or staring out at the water Poldark-style, or watching historical dramas or classes on The Great Courses.