I live in Canton, Ohio, with my husband, Dave, and our teenaged son, Jason, along with two dogs, two cats, and a rabbit. So, among other roles, I am a wife, mother, and zookeeper. Our two grown kids live in Key West, Florida, and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Megan, in Key West, works as a divemaster, and Matthew, in Colorado Springs, is first lieutenant in the US Air Force. So kind of them to live in places I love to visit!

Always the “print junkie,” I love everything about words: what they mean, how they sound, what they say when they're gathered together in books and magazines. The smell of really old books makes me all dreamy, and I get butterflies in my stomach when I peruse the literature section of libraries and bookstores. Books have always been my friends, and writing in the Spirit is one of my greatest joys.

I am founder and leader of Friends Writers Group, a life group and literary arts ministry of First Friends Church (Canton). Our writers represent a variety of denominations and locations. They work in every genre, at every level of writing experience, and they range in age from young adults to grandparents. Since our beginning in 2004, Friends Writers Group has hosted monthly fellowship gatherings, weekly Bible studies for writers, guest speakers, workshops, seminars, and whatever else the Spirit leads us to do.