Hello!
About me
I grew up in a tiny town called Antlers, Oklahoma. Like in Hope Springs, there was just one stop light in the whole county! My dad's store was on High Street and I spent most of my childhood going from one business to the next chatting with the owners and often accepting free candy that I ate immediately so I wouldn't have to share with my sisters. Sharing candy is still not one of my strong suits!
My grandmother never lived more than a bike ride away and I spent a lot of time with her, my sisters, and my cousins. Though there wasn't a whole lot to do in our town, I don't remember feeling bored. We went to the skating rink, to rodeos, and to the drive-in movie theater, but we spent most of our time outside, fishing, riding bikes or horses, and playing games we made up. I still feel best when I'm outside and try to spend time outdoors with my dog and my three kids every day.
My first horse ride
Me with my dog Arlo
A Fun Q& A
1. If I could rename an animal what would it be and why?
I thought about this way too long and still can't decide. But my youngest son says he'd rename unicorns because he thinks "corn" just shouldn't be there. *sidenote: corn means horn (from the Latin cornu), and uni means one. When I told him this he said he still thinks it's a bad name because it better describes a rhinoceros!
2. What is my favorite color?
Green is definitely my favorite because it reminds me of the outdoors. Blue is a close second.
3. If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life what would it be?
This is hard one. I really like a lot of different foods but I think I'd go with chocolate cake. But now that I think about it, eating just one food forever would be sort of awful, wouldn't it?
4. Where do I get ideas from?
This is the question I'm asked most often and it's almost impossible to answer. The best I can do is say sometimes ideas feel like they come from nowhere and just pop into my head and sometimes they come from everywhere--from TV, the news, social media, my kids, an exchange I see in Target, books I read, or a snippet of overheard conversation.
5. If I could visit the setting of any book, which one would it be and why?
I'd choose Green Gables from Anne of Green Gables because this was the first book I loved as a kid. I'd love to be friends with Meg from a A Wrinkle in Time, but I'm too much of a scaredy-cat to go along on one of her adventures. The same goes for Lalani of the Distant Sea--I'd love to visit Sanlagita because it is so wonderfully described. I'd only like to stay there an hour or so because I'm a little nervous something bad might happen. I think my nervous nature is maybe why I like to read and write about brave characters so much!