About Me and Contact
Short Bio
As a former senior marketing executive and general partner of the financial powerhouse Edward Jones, I reside in Missouri. The core driver of my 30+ year professional career, which began in corporate communications and ultimately led to market research, has been persuasive, insightful writing. Since leaving the corporate world, I have attended courses by top-tier writing teachers, including Jennie Nash, Lisa Cron, Donald Maas, and Camille Pagan. I am a member of the Historical Novel Society, the Author’s Guild, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA). In April 2020, I founded a Historical Fiction affinity group within WFWA that’s grown from a handful of people to well over one hundred authors.
Hi there, I'm and I'm a historical fiction author.
How it all began
Elsah. I’ve called the Midwest the home base of my adventures for most of my life -- initially as a kid playing tag in cornfields, and next attending a university overlooking the Mississippi River bluffs. This freshly minted BA in English landed me my first job in Corporate America. I was the first non-admin woman in that firm and my family.
NYC. A few years later, piling all my earthly belongings into a Honda hatchback, I drove hellbent for New York City and a new job. The first year I lived in a fifth-floor walk-up; the second year I eloped with my Cuban-born husband to Greenwich Village. When our daughter arrived (and later, a son) I chose to be a kickass stay-at-home mom.
St.Louis. Back to the Midwest, I re-launched corporate life via a job at Edward Jones, a financial services firm. Within those twenty-two years in marketing, I became a general partner. In 2018 I un-retired to start a new adventure as a writer. My debut book is in the works. In between drafts I do speaking gigs and teach workshops on jumpstarting your passion.
Earth. I am a travel junkie, most recently -- the Galapagos Islands and Alaska’s Inside Passage. I’ve explored dozens of fascinating countries on five continents. Africa and Antarctica frontiers are next.
Body. After a lifetime of health, discovering I had breast and colon cancer shocked me. I’m grateful to be a survivor. But when my mom died from a sudden illness, her passing was shattering. I don’t care if it’s a cliché: Every moment is precious.
Community. Starting over means the joy of being a rookie. What a blessing to find passionate communities of writers who are teaching me writing chops: the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), the Historical Novel Society and Author’s Guild. I also founded an historical fiction group inside WFWA. We’ve met weekly since April 2020 via Zoom. Our Histfic Group has grown from a few to nearly two hundred authors.
Boards. I’ve served on a bunch, but my favorite was for the St Louis Art Fair. One of the top five art fairs in the U.S,. the three-day SLAF blows me away year after year with its eclectic explosion of creativity and edge. Getting to know this caliber of artist, year after year, has played no small part in my attraction to writing about artists in my stories (including Vincent van Gogh).
With days full of writing, reading, travel and grandkids, it’s all still an adventure.
I invite you to come along.
Warmly,
I take a corporate-world break to kick butt as a stay-at-home mom.
My grandson gives me a tutorial on essential words, ""Hi!" "No!" "Go!" He actually explains a lot.
What gave me the push
How I created a tailwind to move out of a corporate life into life as a writer.