Welcome to my Author Page! I’m so glad you’re here!

This is me, being anointed. Forget those photography rules against merging the background with the foreground. I’ll take great symbolism any day! When I saw this photo (taken by a friend at a writer’s conference) I applied it to my three loves: teaching, reading, and writing. I’m blessed beyond measure to be able to pursue these passions.

One of the most exciting adventures of my life was homeschooling my five children from pre-school to graduation. With that behind me, I’ve broadened my reach to students at two homeschool academies–YEAH Academy in Roseville and Truth Academy in Wayzata–and three colleges. I’m an Adjunct English Professor for North Central University, the University of Northwestern St. Paul, and Crown College. Teaching gives me the chance to share my love of words, language, and story with a new crop of young people each year.

When I’m not teaching, writing, or reading, I love spending time with my family, including my grandson and granddaughter; walking my rambunctious ninety-pound Labradoodle, Knight; and pampering my Ragdoll cat, Hero.

My award-winning debut novel, Silken Strands, is now available on Amazon. Close on its heels, I’ve released Shattered Faith, my novella that won first place in the ACFW First Impressions Contest and was a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Genesis Contest.

Several of my short stories have been published in magazines and anthologies. “Coyotes from Kazakhstan” appeared in the Summer 2017 issue of Sixfold, which you can read online. In May 2018 I won the “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” short story contest sponsored by Two Sisters Writing and Publishing for “Love in the Wings,” which you can read online or in the print anthology. My two most recently published stories, “Time Race” and “Sir Manfred’s Secret,” appear in Tales from the Goldilocks Zone, a short story collection from Flying Ketchup Press.

I like to dabble in poetry occasionally, and I’m pleased that three of my poems–a sonnet, an alphabet poem, and a double dactyl–appear in Startled by Joy, the 2019 poetry anthology from Gabriel’s Horn Press. What’s my favorite type of verse? Click the poetry tab above to find out!

You could say I have a “rich and storied past,” which is why I’ve wanted to share about myself via memoir. I’ve completed a novella-length memoir entitled Ruthie’s Rules: Stolen by Schizophrenia, which I plan to release soon. Meanwhile, a portion of that work, “A Tale of Two Sisters,” won third place in the 2019 #MeToo Essay Contest sponsored by Memoir Magazine. In 2017, “The Sisterhood of Bereaved Mothers” placed fourth in the micro-essay contest sponsored by Mothers Always Write. In September, TheSame.Blog published “The Case of the Curious Wall,” and “Day of the Frying Pan” appeared in the December 2018 issue of Junto Magazine.

My relationship with God is the foundation of my life. He’s the one “from whom all blessings flow,” after all. I hope my writing will entertain, inspire, and bless you. Thanks for reading!