And they lived happily ever after.

I’ve always loved that sentence. There is such hope in those words, such faith in the future and ever-after love. I’ve always been a believer, which led me to being a reader of romance novels long before I began to write them. The dance of courtship between a man and a woman, sometimes slow and bluesy, sometimes wild and uninhibited, is sheer bliss to me. And the best part about writing is creating these two dancers who find their perfect partners out of all the other people on the planet.

What brings them together? What could tear them apart? Why do they stick it out through the bad times? Why do they fall more in love with each other every day? Finding the answers to these questions intrigues me. Who are you? I ask them. Some characters give me an hour-long monologue; others clam up until I push the right buttons. Eventually, I get them all to talk, even if I have to torture them a little.

On my journey to becoming a writer, I did a lot of the usual things—married, had children, attended college a little later than the average coed and earned a B.A. in English. Some not-so-usual things happened, too. Life constantly changes, and so we must grow. It’s not a bad thing.

I’ve been fortunate enough to win some awards and receive some honors, which are listed elsewhere on this site. I’ve had the great privilege of working with an exceptional editor from my first book on. My community of writers spans the entire country—smart, funny and loyal people who share and give and support. Without them, this once-upon-a-time journey wouldn’t be anywhere near as fun.