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 two loves: teaching and writing. I’m blessed beyond measure to be able to pursue these lifelong 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 started a homeschool academy–Mid-Metro Academy–with my daughter in 2020. I teach English and Study Skills there. I’m also an Adjunct English Professor at the University of Northwestern St. Paul. 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 hanging out with my husband; spending time with my kids and grandkids; and walking my Shih Poo, Esma, on the nature trails near my home in Minnesota.

I now have six books on Amazon. Check out my Author Page for all my titles, including poetry, short stories, and a little book I wrote for students on how to AI Proof Your Career Path.

My most recent release is Matilda’s Eden, a YA-Adult crossover novel set in the early years of the American Republic (1812-1826). Based on the true story of Matilda Greentree Price, it follows her through hardships and heartache from age four to age eighteen. Culminating America’s fiftieth anniversary year, it’s the perfect way to celebrate America250 as you experience Matilda’s search for life, liberty, and happiness.

In 2025 I released my memoir, Stolen by Schizophrenia. It explores my relationships with my mother and my sister, who both had schizophrenia.

My second historical novel, Destination Harmony, depicts the experimental utopian community of New Harmony, Indiana, in 1825 – 1827.

Researching past people and events brings me great delight. Since I’ve learned so much while writing my historical fiction works, I’ve started a Substack. It allows me to share fascinating tidbits I’ve gleaned about customs, people, and places in nineteenth-century America. If you love history and historical fiction as much as I do, please subscribe!

In 2020 I released my award-winning debut novel, Silken Strands. Close on its heels came 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, and I’m pleased that my poems have appeared in several poetry anthologies published by Gabriel’s Horn Press. You’ll find those volumes on my Amazon Author Page. 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 chosen to share about myself via memoir. In addition to my book-length memoir, Stolen by Schizophrenia, my short memoir works have appeared in online and print literary magazines. A portion of my book-length memoir, “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!