I have lived in many varied places and followed many paths—winding, backtracking, then going forward again.
I was born in Denver but raised in Southwestern Kansas. My educational background in music, specifically opera, also traveled. I began college at Wichita State University, returned to Denver for one semester, then returned to Wichita to finish my BME in Music Education. The San Francisco Bay beckoned me
to go study there for nine months as an alternative to the flatlands of Wichita. Next, I lived in steamy Baltimore where I earned my MM in Vocal Performance at the Peabody Institute, then apprenticed in opera at Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, New York. I have worked as a singer, chorister, arranger, conductor, music director, and opera administrator. However, being the DIY person I am, I couldn’t resist composing three operas to my librettos and writing the words and music for four classical song cycles. However, the written word has always been in my blood.
I now live in Asheville, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. The mountains, nature, and fabulous arts scene called me. Now my focus is on writing novels, my blog, Scribbles & Thoughts, and self-publishing. Besides my scribbles, I’m working on a middle-grade series for ages eight to twelve, entitled Sophia of the Bright Red Sneakers. The first book of the series, Mission 1: All in a Day’s Work, debuts in November 2022. The series' second book, Unexpected Visitors, will debut in early 2023.
Future undertakings include a YA time-travel series in The Storyteller Series. Meanwhile, I’ll post a few thoughts and ideas from time to time. I hope you’ll join me.