Like many authors, my route to becoming a writer was a long and winding road. When I was a child, I enjoyed writing poetry. Initially, my poems were rather pedantic, of the “roses are red” variety. But my mother praised and encouraged my efforts. Over time, my poems slowly improved—they certainly couldn’t have gotten any worse—and I branched out into other forms of writing. However, when I was younger, I viewed writing as a hobby. A guilty pleasure. Not a profession.
I’ve always had a soft spot for animals and hosted a menagerie of pets over the years, including a feisty squirrel monkey and a one-hundred-pound tortoise, among many others. I also adored children. So, I commenced college as a Biological Sciences major, planning to become either a veterinarian or pediatrician.
Midway through my undergraduate education, I decided to deviate from my original plans. I met with a college counselor and told her that I wanted to get a PhD in Genetics. My misguided guidance counselor told me that there was no future in genetics. Apparently, her crystal ball was on the fritz. She encouraged me to go to law school instead. So, I made a right turn and traveled in a new direction. I cut a few corners along the way, graduated with my BS at 18, earned my JD at 21, and then passed the California Bar in the summer.
My husband and I moved to San Diego, where I joined a large law firm that specialized in business and real estate litigation. I enjoyed the intellectual challenge of drafting legal motions and appellate briefs, but the facts and law restricted my creativity. Go figure. After several decades of practicing law, I decided to indulge my inner muse and launch a second career as an author. I loved whodunits and was a Hallmark Movie Mystery junkie, so I chose the cozy mystery genre for my first foray into the writing world. Now, my imagination is unlimited, like Elphaba in Wicked. Hopefully, like her, my mind will defy gravity and fly free.
