About Me
I was born in 1970 in Takoma Park, MD. I spent my childhood days in Beltsville, MD. My parents were divorced and I was raised by a single mother along with my older brother. My family moved to Bowie, MD in the summer before my freshman year of high school (sound familiar?). Unfortunately, Bowie wasn't the fresh start I was hoping for. I wasn't very outgoing and had problems within my home which made high school more of a bother rather than a blessing. With high school far behind now, I find myself happily married with two great kids. I'm thankful that I can stay home with my kids and pursue my love of writing.
My Writing
My Writing
I wrote my first poem when I was in 1st grade. It was a poem about Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is that time of year
When turkeys are caught and berries are found
I would thank God if He were here
For Thanksgiving Day will soon be here
My family enjoys Thanksgiving Day
We like to be together not far away.
I kept writing when the opportunity presented itself in school. It seemed I got a lot of attention during poetry units and generally wrote poems for everyone. In high school I began writing poetry as therapy. Many of the poems didn't really make much sense, but they served as a way to deal with the fear and loneliness I felt as a teenager. I wrote over 500 poems throughout high school and my early 20's as well as a few "short stories" (more like small essays).
Sumner Bay
In 1996 I was a huge fan of Beverly Hills 90210. The show made me feel like I had really missed something in high school. I decided to write a book about a group of high school students and try to relive high school through the written word. Unfortunately, through the years many drafts were written and lost as I moved, married and started my own family.
I picked up my only remaining copy in 2007 and began to type. I modeled the Sumner Bay community after my own neighborhood and decided to change the purpose of the Sumner Bay novels. I no longer wanted to relive high school, but to write novels that would be pertinent to teens today and guide them a bit in their decisions and choices in life.
I finally finished writing and editing the first Sumner Bay novel "The First Chapter of the Rest of my Life". It was truly a great accomplishment.
Upcoming Projects
I am currently working on an outline for the second book in the Sumner Bay series. I haven't gotten too far so I can't give out any teasers yet. Keep checking the blog. I'm also working on a poetry collection that will also showcase a few of my favorite photos.
Photography
Along with writing, I also enjoy photography. Feel free to visit my photography website
In My World and it's companion
blog. If you like my photos, then you can buy postcards featuring all the photos online through my Zazzle store.