About Me: I have been writing from a very young age but only recently started moving toward a serious career in LDS fiction and chapter books for kids. I have a BA from Vassar College and an MA from Utah State University. I have written poetry, fantasy, academic writing, essays, short stories, children's books, and novels, among other things, several of which have won awards. I live in northern Utah with my husband and two living children. I say living because just over five years ago, my third child, a 4 month old girl, died in a tragic accident, and I have lost several babies to miscarriage. I draw from my experiences with tragedy to write novels, and possibly self-help in the future. See the front page for some of the pieces I'm working on most seriously for publication.
My philosophy:
Most of us have read or watched the romance: perfect man meets perfect woman. Granted, they both have one major flaw. But once they get past that one major flaw, he makes life perfect for her, and she is rewarded for good behavior. It's "Cinderella" all over again. Many of us have internalized the story to such an extent that we crave it and tell ourselves, "One day, that will be me."
But I have yet to meet a perfect man or a perfect woman in reality. And romance doesn't solve all problems for man or woman. In fact, from my experience, few people fit the profile described in most books I read: normal, beautiful, white, hot. Life is hard. From my experience, there's nothing normal about being normal. Few people live their lives entirely without some kind of disability or struggle, emotional or physical. So where's their story? Where's our story?
One may say romance is a fantasy world. But I see people who seek a hero or heroine with whom to identify. Individuals within minority groups, including those with disabilities, search with little success to find images of themselves in the media. Where's the romance for the overweight woman or the emotionally scarred man or the diabetic individual?
I join my voice to the growing number of writers who are telling stories for the underrepresented reader, the ones who aren't a perfect ten in mind and body or who are not dubbed "normal" by the media. My LDS fiction as well as my children's fiction both feature people with disabilities.
Most of us have read or watched the romance: perfect man meets perfect woman. Granted, they both have one major flaw. But once they get past that one major flaw, he makes life perfect for her, and she is rewarded for good behavior. It's "Cinderella" all over again. Many of us have internalized the story to such an extent that we crave it and tell ourselves, "One day, that will be me."
But I have yet to meet a perfect man or a perfect woman in reality. And romance doesn't solve all problems for man or woman. In fact, from my experience, few people fit the profile described in most books I read: normal, beautiful, white, hot. Life is hard. From my experience, there's nothing normal about being normal. Few people live their lives entirely without some kind of disability or struggle, emotional or physical. So where's their story? Where's our story?
One may say romance is a fantasy world. But I see people who seek a hero or heroine with whom to identify. Individuals within minority groups, including those with disabilities, search with little success to find images of themselves in the media. Where's the romance for the overweight woman or the emotionally scarred man or the diabetic individual?
I join my voice to the growing number of writers who are telling stories for the underrepresented reader, the ones who aren't a perfect ten in mind and body or who are not dubbed "normal" by the media. My LDS fiction as well as my children's fiction both feature people with disabilities.