I keep reading business advice that I should find a niche, and it would appear that I’m not quite taking that advice. Well, if you explore this site, you will see that I have my fingers in a few different pies of different flavors. I’m the author of several mystery books and stories. I have a children’s picture book with another in planning. I’m the creator of mystery party games … more on the way. I even sell some puppet scripts for church ministry purposes. All of these things, though varied, have one thing in common, that they all stemmed from the imagination and creativity of one crazy lady. If you are an indie author or aiming to be and need help putting your book together, check out my Services page.
Stay tuned. Things may get even more varied and interesting. Read on to learn a bit more on the life events that helped influence me as a creator.
I grew up in northern New Jersey with three older brothers. My family is still close, and my brothers help inspire some of the “guy stuff” in my Jack Donegal Mystery series. My father, a retired engineer and inventor, has also provided inspiration for my quirky toy inventor/amateur sleuth, Jack Donegal. Now, the family has expanded to include five nephews, one niece and even a nephew-in-law and niece-in-law.
I enjoyed writing stories from the time I was very young. My teachers sometimes liked reading them aloud and, since I was a shy kid, this made me want to sink into the floor! One of my early stories that my family remembers featured a mouse couple named Smidgen and Smidgenette.
I discovered puppetry as a high schooler while traveling across the States one summer with a group of teens, singing and performing drama. The next year, at Cedarville University, I joined a puppets writing team, writing scripts for the college puppetry teams. This was my introduction to it. Post-college, I began my own puppet ministry team at my home church and learned all I could from puppetry conferences.
For 10 years, I worked as a reporter for North Jersey Media Group, covering stories on local politics, schools, crime, community events and human interest.
I thought this page should include a photo of me, so, here I am. The doggy in the photo, Hubble, is not mine but a doggy I care for from time to time.
