Did you hone your craft through formal training?
I’ve been writing most of my life. I know that’s something people say all the time! But in my case, it really is true. I started writing poetry in maybe the fourth grade. I think you still can detect a more lyrical style in my books. At seventeen, I started writing editorials for my city newspaper and then went on to pursue journalism in college. After graduation, I wrote for non-profits and freelanced for magazines. I did some ghost writing of non-fiction and technical copy. It wasn’t until I was in a tough spot in my personal life and really needed an outlet for myself—just for me—that I decided to try fiction, specifically romance.
My first book was traditionally published nine years ago. I started self-publishing a few years later. I had never written fiction. I didn’t take for granted that it was something I’d just know how to do. So, I [took] courses to make sure I had the basics of story structure and character development. I know the rules. I just sometimes choose to break them!
What can we fans look forward to next?
2023 [was] really about reintroducing The All the King’s Men duology and my three HOOPS novels to a new wave of readers through Bloom, which has been so amazing. I released Before I Let Go at the end of 2022. The 2024 follow-up features one of the secondary characters from BILG. I think my readers are really excited to see what’s next in that world. BILG is in development for television at Peacock, which has my readers so hyped about casting and how this world will play out onscreen. So, they’re primed for book two! And in 2024 I’ll self-publish a book, which I haven’t done in nearly three years. Score, the follow-up to my 2021 book Reel, should be coming in the summer. My readers have waited a long time for this one and ask about it often. So, lots of good things coming!
What advice do you have for Sisters From AARP readers?
To never stop dreaming or believing something is possible. I signed my first book deal when I was forty years old. When I started writing that book, I didn’t think anyone would be interested in what I had to say, but I felt a spark. I was a mom, a wife, running a charitable foundation—always putting everyone else’s needs first, as we women often do. Writing romance was something just for me that made me feel alive. I joined a local writer’s group, still not knowing if anything would come of it, but there was something about being around like-minded people once a month who were working toward their goals and pursuing their dreams.
If you have hopes or ambitions, don’t just leave them there. Make plans. Take action. Position yourself to achieve. And surround yourself with people who believe you can. If there aren’t already people like that in your life, find them. Writing can be a solitary pursuit, but I’ve found author friends and people who kept me encouraged when I felt like giving up. Find your people. Follow your dreams. Put in the work. I never expected at forty years old to begin a completely new career, but that’s what happened, and it changed my life.
