My college minor was English and I’m cliché, I guess; I’ve wanted to write creatively for years. I took some Adult Ed classes here and there, dabbling. Then, I found Tuesdays with Story. The group has helped me immensely with feedback about improving dialogue, scene setting, use of the senses in writing, heightening conflict, story arc, and, practice, practice, practice. I have enjoyed the company of other writers and always gain something from the diversity of their writing styles.
I grew up in Wisconsin, attended college in Eau Claire and law school in Minnesota. I joined the Navy for almost seven years and worked in Charleston, S.C., Japan and Washington D.C. I stayed in the Reserves and worked another ten years in Washington and Oklahoma City before returning to Wisconsin in 2005. Now, raising kids and staying at home, I have time to write. I’m rewriting my first novel, a work of historical fictional about Abraham Lincoln. It is based on some real legal cases he worked on as a prairie lawyer in the 1840’s.
I like to read: anything that’s really well written, historical fiction, intercultural stories, off-beat fiction, the occasional romance or chick lit, modern dramas. I like history. I don’t care much for murder mysteries, science fiction or fantasy but there’s always an exception for them – but not for horror. Not a huge fan of poetry. I like to travel. I have lived in Peru and Japan, and visited Ireland, London, Italy, Germany and Ukraine. Stateside, I have lived in WI, MN, CA, RI, SC, VA, OK and MD. Currently, I live in a Madison suburb with my husband, twin fourth grade girls and two dogs. Knowledge/Experiences/Expertise: Navy life, growing up in a large family, the places I’ve lived, and the law.
