About the Author

Hello: I am an award-winning writer and self-published author. My sweet romance called Finding Love in the Snow was a Romance finalist in the 2022 American Writing awards competition. My book The Secrets of the Clock was an awards finalist in the Chick Lit/Women’s Lit category of the 2018 American Fiction Awards. My short stories have won various awards at writing competitions, both nationally and locally.

I am an empty nester and retired, following my dream of being a writer. I was a stay-at-home mom, raising two children while following Hubby’s several career moves. At age 30, I went to go to college and earned degrees in mathematics and math education, minoring in history. My degrees and ability to write well led me a career of technical research and writing. After working in a number of positions, I found my niche as a natural resources technical writer/editor where I worked for many years.

After retiring, I began writing and editing fiction; attending numerous conferences and workshops; and doing all I could to learn the craft of fiction writing. I love sharing my experiences and what I’ve learned. Writing and helping others write brings me a lot of joy. I give presentations and talk to groups about writing and attend as many writing conferences and workshops as I can. My small business, The Lavender Pen, takes a lot of my time. Writing and editing is constant as stories in my head push me to get them out onto the paper.

Hubby and I travel quite a bit around the western states and have even taken a couple of trips to Europe. But there’s no place like home. I spend my days reading and writing, and Hubby bicycles as often as he can. We are both following our dreams.

It’s never too late to bloom. See an excellent article about my writing journey written by Darsha Dodge for the Rapid City Journal on September 21,2023.