I have always enjoyed writing and creating stories, especially horse stories. I wrote lots of stories as a child…none of which were worth keeping! But practice makes, if not perfect, then at least BETTER! As a teacher, all my writing was confined to curriculum. But once I became a mom, I had the opportunity to coach Odyssey of the Mind and Destination Imagination teams and help the kids on my teams write their own one-act plays. Doing that for seventeen years made me yearn to write my own stories. As my children left home for college, I finally had the time to commit to writing. I now spend three to four hours a day writing. 

When you are not writing, what other hats do you wear? What do you do for fun?

Now that my children are all grown, I no longer wear the most important hat: that of a mom! Now, the hat I wear most often is a riding helmet. If I’m not writing, I’m on my horse. I love to compete in Dressage and ride the trails in the beautiful Colorado mountains…and I always wear my helmet!

What is your favorite Genre to read? What about that genre draws you?

I have two favorite Genres: Historical Fiction and Fantasy. Those are also the two genres that I love to write! 

The most fun thing about writing historical fiction is the research! It is so fun to learn all those new things. I love searching for a little-known horse story from the past and creating a fun story about it. “PINTO!”, “The Sand Pounder,” “The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy” are all historical fiction. “Finding Fionn” is not quite historical enough (only forty years old instead of the required fifty year old) but it was still so fun to research.  

Fantasy is such escapism! You can immerse yourself in a fantasy world with fantasy creatures. I don’t read or write dark fantasy…I like to keep it fun and light. “The Mist Trilogy” is what is called an urban fantasy – a story set in the real world with fantasy elements. “The Centaur Chronicles” is a classic fantasy set in a fantasy land, fantasy time period, with fantasy creatures. 

What is your favorite thing about this time of year?

That’s easy! My favorite color is “October!” I love riding my horse through the beautiful golden aspens in the mountains. 

What historical figure do you admire and why?

I most admire Jesus Christ as I believe he is my Savior and atoned for my sins. But in a more secular world, I think it would be George Washington. There are very few people who would turn down the chance to be king in order to truly serve others. He refused to let power become his motivating force. 

Who did you have in mind as you wrote the book? 

I’m not quite sure what you mean by this question. Are you thinking of who my intended audience is? I’ll answer it with that in mind. I spent five years teaching teenagers in high school and junior high and many more years raising my own five children… all of whom went through the teenage years. I LOVE teenagers. So, most of my books are written for a young adult audience. As such, I want to create a positive message that is also free of bad language and immorality. (Because of that, lots of adults also read my books.) My books appeal most to horse-lovers, of course. Since I am a horse-lover, I like writing about that which I love. 

What is your favorite children’s book?

I grew up on a steady diet of Marguerite Henry horse stories. My mother sold them at a garage sale when I was away at college, so I have searched used bookstores and collected them again. I still love them. My favorite current author is J.K. Rowling. Favorite picture book would be “Where the Wild Things Are.” 

What advice would you give to a child or teen who wants to be a writer?

MOST IMPORTANT: READ! The more you read, the better writer you will become. And you don’t have to just read books in your preferred genre. You can learn by expanding your horizons. Also, your reading tastes will most likely change as you get older (although horse books always have been and will always be my favorite.)

I have taken many creative writing classes. Sometimes they help. But I have developed my own method of writing. So, you have to be willing to just sit and write, even if nothing good comes of it…eventually it will become something worth keeping.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I (and my readers) enjoy learning more about the authors I feature.