5 Things You May Not Know About Me …
The author
Whenever I am reading a book, I like to imagine what the author is like. Sometimes I come across a biography or an autobiography and learn some rather quirky things about the author, which only adds to my liking them more. You are aware that I am the author of a middle grade horse book series, but here are 5 things you may not know about me …
1.) I have a sense of humor. I will laugh until I tear up, can’t breath, and my stomach hurts. I grew up in a family of joke-makers, so we are all well-versed in rolling laughter. My father’s dry, sarcastic humor was often tossed about the house, making us laugh uncontrollably. And, my mother could easily keep up with him. Although I’m terrible at telling jokes (I never get the timing right), I know a good tale when I hear one. My husband and I connected right away when we first dated. He and I were talking about a silly way to earn money. Obviously, whatever our “grand scheme” was became ridiculously funny because neither one of us could breathe as we tried to give each other our input on the subject. My mother told me after she heard about our hysterics to hang onto him because men who make you laugh were far and few in between. Almost forty years later, we still make each other laugh until our sides hurt.
Photo: Canva
2.) I was a Kitchen and Bath Designer. For almost 8 years, I specialized in designing kitchens and baths (I was an interior designer for over 18 years). My family thought my designing kitchens was a HUGE joke because I rarely cooked (but then neither did most of my clients). I learned to design the kitchen to function for people who would cook in it eventually. I used the basic work triangle for kitchen efficiency when laying out or remodeling a space. I did make sure the space would function properly, even though most of my clients only wanted beautiful cabinets, tile work, and elegant wooden floors - the bigger the flash, the better they liked it. I still cannot walk into a house and not notice if the kitchen functions properly or not. I cook now, too, so I have a much better sense of what is needed in the space, even though I shelved designing for writing years ago.
3.) I love math and science. Most people know about my artistic, creative side, whether that is through writing or visual art & design. But I have a huge side that loves more analytical subjects, especially math and natural sciences. I couldn’t wait to learn long division and fractions in grade school and didn’t have a problem with algebra or geometry in high school, unlike some of my classmates. I filled up my school schedule with botany, biology, chemistry, and animal science classes. The natural world was so interesting, how could I not want to study more of it? This science bend came from my mother, who would have us stare up into star-studded nights and wait for falling stars to arch across the deep indigo sky. She would take us on nature walks on our property or the surrounding countryside and help us identify tree species, plants, and bugs. An animal lover from birth, she taught us how to properly care for our many pets. I’m surprised I didn’t pursue natural science as a career path earlier in my life. I wanted to specialize in equine/veterinarian science and even did a science project on comparative (horse) anatomy when I was in 8th grade. I headed off to work directly with horses instead.
Photo: Canva
4.) I have read thousands (and thousands) of books. Although I write daily, I also read daily. I have been a voracious reader since I begged my mother to teach me to read before I went to kindergarten. I remember being quite small and staring up at the built-in bookshelves we had in our home, wanting to desperately know what was written inside those books. I would spend hours playing with my siblings’ and my wooden alphabet blocks and being so sure that I had created a fabulous word, when in fact it was probably more like: ekmcuidopsbgtn. I thought length made it more special. Once I learned how to read, I was off to the races, burning through all of the books in our school library, the town’s library, my friends’ libraries, you name it. Horse books were always my favorite, but that’s probably no secret. I still get nervous when my to-read pile starts to dwindle. Then it’s time to replenish with a new stack, either from the library or a book order, or both. I often feel sad when I think about all of the books I won’t have time to read in this lifetime.
5.) I wanted to be a famous showjumper rider. This probably isn’t a surprise. I loved hunter/jumpers as a small child. I don’t remember choosing the discipline; it chose me. I enjoyed riding Western for fun, but there was always something about riding over fences that caught my attention early on. I have always wanted to go fox hunting (for the camaraderie, not the killing of the fox), ride cross-country, and stadium show jump. I also wanted to train for the Olympics, but it wasn’t until I worked for the first hunter/jumper stable in my late teens that I learned riders had to qualify and have the horse(s) to train with - it was far more involved than I originally thought. As odd as this sounds, I often imagine showing again. But first I have to get back on after a 13 -year hiatus and become conditioned to ride again BEFORE any jumping starts again. Still, a girl can dream …
