About The Author

Growing up in a quaint southern town, I was a joyful child with an expansive imagination. Our home was nestled in a rural setting, where cows grazed beyond the fence, and birds' songs echoed through ancient magnolia trees.
 
However, unlike many authors, I can't claim to have written my first short story in elementary school. In fact, reading posed a significant challenge for me. The mere thought of the school library filled me with dread; it seemed more like a sentence than a sanctuary. While my classmates eagerly browsed for books, I hesitated, feeling like a deer caught in headlights.
 
This struggle persisted throughout my school years, intensifying with every timed reading and comprehensive test. When college entrance exam scores were announced, my peers boasted about prestigious colleges while I grappled with a sense of inadequacy.
 
Even Sunday School, a place of spiritual solace for many, became a source of anxiety. When I stumbled over words, snickers from my peers amplified my self-doubt.
 
Despite these challenges, I graduated from Junior College with a 3.8 GPA, earning a coveted spot on the dean's list—a pivotal moment that marked my first breakthrough.
 
Another turning point came years later when my church entrusted me with teaching Bible stories to children. Drawing from childhood memories of playing "church" in my bedroom, I embarked on a journey to engage young minds with the timeless tales of faith that I knew so well.
 
Attending a seminar on effective teaching techniques proved transformative, as I learned to captivate children's imaginations by appealing to all five senses. This newfound approach not only enriched my teaching but also laid the foundation for my writing style.
 
Throughout my career at the University of Florida, where I served in office support roles, reading remained a challenge. Despite achieving impressive typing speeds, I grappled with errors due to cognitive overload. Yet, amidst the frustration, I found solace in the wisdom of a compassionate supervisor who reminded me that we all have our ways of compensating.
 
 
After retiring from my thirty-one-year career, a new chapter of life began. I delved into researching dyslexia, reading handicaps, and learning disabilities online, where I stumbled upon a concept known as "cross crawl." Experts suggest that infants must crawl to develop healthy hand-eye coordination—an experience I missed out on as a baby. My mother often recounted how I could sit in the middle of the floor and hold conversations, yet I refused to crawl.
 
Years later, my chiropractor treated me for a brain delay, shedding light on the excruciating lapses between seeing words and my brain recognizing or reading them.
 
In 2014, I returned to my passion for teaching children and resurrected the skeleton of a children’s story I had started years earlier. Thus, The Adventures of Thelma Thistle and Her Friends came to life. This marked the beginning of the Thelma series of six more books, during which I honed my writing skills and continued to learn.
 
A decade later, I ventured into Christian historical fiction, penning five novels, with one still in production. Four of these novels form a series, and each has been a labor of love, requiring extensive research into historical events, places, and people.
 
Despite the skepticism of some, who wonder how I can write so well despite my reading challenges, I attribute my abilities to the boundless grace of God.
 
You may be curious about what I write. As the adage goes, "Write what you know." Drawing from my family's experiences of hardships and faith, I craft stories that reflect God's eternal love and the enduring lessons I've learned along the way.
 
Every day, I am grateful for the gift of imagination and writing that the Lord has given to me.