Autobiography

 

Growing up in a family of nine children (I was number 7) in a small southern town in the early 60's was a never ending adventure. I was never really bored nor did I ever run out of playmates. My mother had quite a sense of humor as she named each of her children after film stars. Our family was very poor financially but rich in love and laughter.

When I was about nine years old, my sister gave me a diary for Christmas and that's where my spark for writing began. Instead of keeping a true narrative of my days or my dreams,  I would write about make believe adventures. One day I would be in France fighting Germans in the war and the next day might find me in Africa with Tarzan. I never ran out of story lines as my imagination was quite vivid.

My favorite books were Trixie Belden and the Hardy Boys. I  would buy one book a week, every Saturday, and have it finished by that night. As I grew older, my mother would let me walk to the library, and I discovered Agatha Christie. She became my favorite author and has remained so to this day. Mystery, adventure and suspense are my main reading topics, although I also love biographies of famous men i.e. Truman, Lincoln, Kennedy, etc.

I left North Carolina when I married and lived in six states in the next fifteen years. My husband was in the military and we moved frequently with our two sons. Moving so often and meeting different people of all backgrounds was a rewarding experience and fueled my imagination. Even today I love to watch people and place them as central characters in my imaginary stories.

In 1984, my husband and I divorced and I decided to stay in South Florida. Life was very hard and I worked two jobs to support myself. Then in December of 1989, I met my future husband on a blind date. We married in August of 1991 and with luck and determination I was able to come back home to North Carolina in 1995.

Life is very rewarding now and my husband, Jim, and I are very settled in a small rural town with our two dogs in the middle of the woods. My sons are on their own and one lives in Texas and the other in Georgia. Jim encouraged me to go forward with my writing and he’s behind me 100%. With someone supporting your dreams and goals it’s hard not to get excited and push forward. I hope to have articles published in the future and believe I can with the right guidance.