Even as a child, I loved to write . . .
I remember one time when I was around eight years old, my parents removed the shelves from a linen closet so I could move my little desk inside. My dad ran an extension cord into the closet and hung a lamp on   the wall. My first office! I spent hours in there writing stories on used keypunch cards my dad brought home from work. Those were the days!

As a teen, I got my thrills solving math problems, practicing the piano, and babysitting. NO LIE! I loved kids so much and used the money I earned to buy classical piano music. I just couldn't get enough. In the evenings, I'd pour through my math book working ahead to figure out new skills. OKAY...I KNEW I WAS WEIRD.

But I never let on. I played the game - went to dances, shopped on weekends, and joined the cheerleading block. (Remember those white gloves, matching sweaters, etc.?) My friends never knew where my heart REALLY hung out!

Then I meet my honey and got married on my 18th birthday. Whew! What was I thinking? Two years later, my husband joined the military. One time, when I was talking to a chaplain's wife in England, I mentioned how disappointed I was about not being a pastor's wife. "Girl!" she said. "You don't have to be married to a pastor to serve like a pastor's wife. Go for it!" What a simple solution.

FAST FORWARD... I taught first grade for eight years. Once our kids were raised, we moved to San Antonio, Texas, where I taught fourth and fifth grades before decicing to write full-time.

...and now? Life. Challenges. blessings. Grandchildren. Growing in the Lord. Reaching out with His   love. Writing His stories. Praying for His children - young and old. Seeking His will.   Watching Him work.

My first book? I was teaching and working on a novel in my spare time. One night I was totally on a roll. Worked way into the early hours. Went to school and told my students, "Don't push it today. I am WAY beyond tired!"

"Write us a book," they begged. So I started over Christmas break and continued to write a chapter every weekend. The kids loved it...and so did the first publisher I sent it to. Whoa! What a surprise. So I kept writing for kids and enjoy it more every day.

The Purple Heart - written for you