I'm a writer based in Bend, Oregon, a hang-onto-your-hat kind of mountain town where people talk more about what they do for fun rather than what they do for work. Mostly, I write about the things I love the most: family, nature, food, and adventuring across this beautiful planet. These days, I spend a lot of time researching old trail maps, the history of women's suffrage, and life in the American West in the early 1900s, all for my first book-length writing project.

What happens when a friend stops by with her great-grandmother's journal, and says "somebody needs to tell her story"? For me, that led to four-year dive into writing an historical novel about two adventurous women traveling west around the turn of the century (the 1900s, not the Y2K century). Along the way, I learned more than history-- more like a DIY MFA in story arcs, world building, scene structure, and channeling internal struggles. Now that the manuscript is written, I'm focused on the publishing process to get this epic tale out into the world.

The image to the right is a sampling of what I keep on my desk for moments I get stuck. The drawing-man posed in amazing dance moves. The coppery milagro heart, for when I could use a miracle. A shaman's truth-teller from the Congo. A painted rock, a chessboard queen, binoculars to spy on the flicker in the pines. It's a wonder I get anything written at all.

The link below goes to a sampling of my stories on Medium, pieces published in journals and writing sites,  freelance writing work, and my favorite WIP.

This beautiful planet is full of surprises: pearls in oysters, tiny treasures, moments that stay with a person forever. I keep trying to capture that magic in paint. These paintings come from traveling, and every image has a little story. Very soon any of these will be available as notecards, journals, or small prints.