Although I've lived more than half my life in other states, I'm still a Californian at heart. I love vintage bungalows, twisted oaks on rolling hills, and the rocky beaches of the Central Coast. A few blocks away from my childhood home stood a Lutheran church where I came to faith, first through Sunday School teachers whose kindness drew me to the kindness of God, and then through confirmation classes. The Bible verses that had been drilled into my head came to life in my heart.

After moving away from home as a teenager, I worked at a variety of jobs, from candle-maker in a tourist town to administrative assistant at a Christian college. I married a wonderful man from Michigan, and we lived north of Detroit for seventeen years. That's where we started homeschooling our three children, an endeavor that we finished in Georgia when our youngest graduated from high school in 2009.

My husband and I live near Atlanta, close to the foothills of the Southern Appalachians. His motorcycle often carries us to the mountains of Georgia, Tennessee, or the Carolinas. Sitting on the back of the bike, I can pray, enjoy the beautiful views, and plot new stories. Fiction makes my world go 'round, whether I'm writing it or reading it.