My writing is historical fiction. It's about love, the importance of family and appreciation of nature; and it delves into the cultures of different times and peoples. The setting is within the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Rim.
Shagoon (18th century Alaska, California and Hawaii) comes from my interest in Native American cultures and my need to “save” a newborn. The storyline I discovered through research was so exciting and plausible that I couldn't wait to write it. It involves British Captain George Vancouver with his crew of Whidbey and Puget as well as King Kamehameha and Russian Baranov. Cultures are Tlingit, Hawaiian, Ohlone, Spanish Mission and European.
Brick, Lime and Moonshine comes from 20th century family history and oral legend at a time when I needed to leave my beloved lake cabin which was built as a drinking house during Prohibition. The cabin had been a constant in my life, and leaving it was difficult. Writing this book helped me say so.
A retired teacher, I've lived and taught most of my life on both sides of Washington state and a year in Hawaii. Now I indulge in research and putting together bits of history in new ways.
I love spending time with family, especially cooking together, and am interested in warm climates, sandy beaches, large bodies of water, palm trees, and plumeria. I practice yoga and enjoy the mussels from Penn Cove where I currently live on Whidbey Island.
