Welcome to My Website

Welcome to my website and my first blog. Before I introduce myself and my exciting novel, The Herbarium, I want to thank Steve, Laura, and the behind-the-scenes team at AuthorBytes for creating this gorgeous website. I truly and literally couldn’t have done it without you.

Have you ever noticed that when you are really excited and enthused about something, you go on and on? You want to tell people everything all at once? But then you have to rein yourself in a bit? That’s how I’m feeling right now as I think about this blog. I have so much I want to tell you about my new novel, The Herbarium, which I think you’re really going to like. And I also want to tell you about my writing, how I learned to complete novels, classes I took, my favorite writers, and what I’ve learned from them. Because I’ve found that both readers and writers want to learn more about the writing process. The whole thing seems mysterious, even after you’ve been writing for years, even after you think you’ve worked out your own writing process!

And to share some of my travels with you. It turns out that my love of travel is also a huge bonus when it comes to research for a novel. The Internet and books are great sources for research, but when possible, I love to be able to walk around the locations for my scenes. See the sights, smell the smells! And sometimes, it just happens that I am in a place and either learn about an event that kicks my writer mind into gear, or experience an event that gives me ideas for new novels. In upcoming blogs, I’ll take you to some of the places in France that inspired much of the 16^th century plot in The Herbarium.

In these blog posts, I’ll also tell you about my life in the mountains, and take you to some places I love visiting here. Places in nearby locations that influence my writing, particularly the current-day plot in The Herbarium. And sometimes, the local places simply provide really cool adventures.

So, I’m going to have to tell you in short bursts. That’s what this blog is going to be all about. Short posts about things I hope you’ll find interesting and helpful. And of course you’ll get news on The Herbarium, as well as sneak peeks into my other writing projects.

Once again, welcome. Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to seeing you again soon.