Where were you born/grew up at?
I was born on Walker AFB in Roswell, New Mexico. (Yes, that Roswell.) I still laugh because, when I was young, the alien thing was a skeleton in the closet. When the air force base closed, it became a ghost town that was marketed to retirees. Then, after a couple of books gained popularity, Roswell embraced its past. An old movie theater was turned into the alien museum; a mariachi festival evolved into the alien festival; the Main Street streetlamps have alien faced globes; and there are little green or gray alien images everywhere.
I can’t say it affected my love of paranormal and science fiction except in a minor way. The Apollo missions I saw on TV as a kid did more. There’s a moon rock and one of the space suits in the main city museum. They have a recreation of Robert Goddard’s (created rockets) workshop there as well. One of the high schools is named after him.
I suppose the alien thing applies more to paranormal for me since so many people treat it with a mysticism. There’s also a lot of Navajo and Apache lore in New Mexico. I grew up hearing the stories of their deities and heroes.
How to find time to write as a parent?
My sons are grown now but, when they were young, we sat at the kitchen table each evening. They did homework and I wrote. I also made good use of time when I was unemployed.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve written since I was a kid. I wrote the typical teenager angst poems and short stories. My dad has a screenplay I wrote at the age of nine. I typed it on an old manual typewriter. It stars our family dog named Happy. I also had a teacher in middle school who taught me how to journal.
I don’t always have time to journal but try to as often as I can. Right now, I’m temping at the County Disease Control—Covid 19 Task Force. I’m full-time clerical support. I love it because I feel like I’m contributing to something vital in my community. I journal and write during my lunch hours. It doesn’t take me an hour to eat a sandwich.
Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?
Fighting for Home. It has enough action and characterization to be interesting. I’d love to see the battle scenes played out on screen. Being set in 300 B.C., the costuming and setting could be gorgeous if created visually in the right hands.
Here’s something interesting:
Fighting for Home is about Amazon Warrior Women in 300 B.C. One of my hobbies is a LARP (Live Action Role Play) group called Amtgard. We have a subgroup within the fantasy game structure called a household. We call ourselves Amazons and are women supporting other women within the game. The Queen Mothers of the story are named after the three women who head this household. Each of these ladies read the chapters as I wrote them. It was a fun process to write it this way. Sending them the chapters gave me accountability and kept me on task for writing regularly. I thank them for that!
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