To say I’m an avid reader would be an understatement. I devour books, eagerly seeking their secrets and innermost thoughts. My tastes run from biographies to fiction to historical accounts.
As a kid, I read every book in the house, then the library. It started with the Little Golden Books. Then I graduated to Judy Blume, who was my idol. Her refreshingly candid characters helped me (and a million other youngsters) come of age. I also loved the Trixie Belden series and had every book in the series. Most I read twice.
I’m a Stephen King fan – have been since high school. I read Pet Sematary and was hooked. His writing terrifies me and I don’t particularly enjoy being scared. Yet I can’t get enough! What I love is his how he works his craft – that attention to detail and those character insights. Those signature King phrases that prick your heart and take your breath away. And, let’s be honest here, the movies are never as good.
When I was 10, I wrote a short story about my dad. It won an award at school and that made me want to keep writing. I’ve been writing stories for myself ever since. My family loves the vacation recap stories I write after we return from another of our adventures.
When it came time to pick a career – something I knew I would love and want to do for the long-term – I gravitated toward writing and public speaking, perhaps because I loved doing live theater as much as I loved writing and reading. I wanted to communicate; not to tell my stories, but to help companies and organizations tell theirs. That’s what I’ve been doing for the better part of my professional career. I even parlayed that skill into being a journalist and newspaper editor for several years.
But who is the real me? I’m a hopeless romantic, a natural optimist, a relentless pursuer of great chocolate, an animal lover, and a big fan of Stranger Things. I practice yoga but am still a little wobbly on the balancing poses. I play piano when the mood strikes. I’m okay with laughing at myself. On the weekends, you might find me hiking with my hubs, laughing with my kids, reading, playing fetch with my dog, or cooking. My desk gets a little messy. I love a good meme. Family is everything.
Inspiration
Embrace what you don’t know, especially in the beginning, because what you don’t know can become your greatest asset. It ensures that you will absolutely be doing things different from everybody else.
Sara Blakely, Founder of SPANX
If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.
Stephen King, Author
“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.”
John Green, Author
Hilsenbeck Communications 
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