Look and Listen

Biography

My family took in over 40 foster children before I moved out of the house. I think this gave me a unique perspective on life. I started writing my first novel when I was in high school. I'm especially drawn to paranormal fantasy but I love fantasy of all sorts.

I live in Southern Utah with my husband and son. I'm happy to live in an area where I can wear flip-flops all year and plant palm trees in my yard. I write clean fiction that can be enjoyed by pre-teens and up. I'm a big music fan and that has played a major role in my latest series, Blood And Guitars.

Inspiration

As a kid, I was fascinated by everything Bruce Coville wrote, but particularly by "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher." That's where my fantasy obsession began. Later, I discovered Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, who was published at 13. I blame her, at least in part, for my vampire obsession.

A trip to historic Europe in high school was the inspiration for the first novel I wrote, titled The Rift. I can still remember plotting scenes in my head as I wandered through the old castles. I spent most of the 14 hour flight home writing in a notebook I bought at the airport.

The inspiration for the Blood And Guitars series came from my desire to combine two of my biggest passions: music and vampires. I was in high school when I came up with the story idea. Music has always been a huge part of my life, but as a teenager I relied on that connection to help me pull my focus in and write stories.