I'm very excited about my  book "Why Is There A Lemon In My Fruit Salad" and can't wait to share it with you. My life hasn't quite gone as I originally planned but then if it had, I never would have had material for this book! I do try to laugh every day, and I hope to share some of those laughs with you along life's fun, turbulent and sometimes difficult journey.  I've "been there, done that", as they say. After battling chronic and sometimes near-terminal illness, marriage challenges, financial trouble and job losses I knew that I had to learn to laugh through the tears if I was to survive. But life is good and sweet and we are only "just passing through" so we must try to enjoy it to it's fullest. I painted the words "carpe diem", which is Latin for "seize the day" above my front door to remind me of that every day.

    So let me tell you a little about myself:

    I began writing stories back in elementary school and never stopped. I think my first debut as an "author" came when I took a little hand-written book that I made in school, complete with colored pencil drawings and read it to first graders - and they LOVED it! From then on I was hooked.

    I took every English and writing class I could in high school and went on to double major in Creative Writing and English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan. After graduation, my life took a few unexpected turns and I spent several years doing secretarial work, restaurant work, and even worked as a personal assistant until my freelance business took off. I worked on staff with the Ann Arbor News for many years, and then quit to raise a family. I'm creative and I like to keep busy so I've always had at least two jobs besides the writing - including my own horse training business, selling Jafra cosmetics, Avon and even a gift basket business!

    For hobbies I love gardening and photography. I like to think I’m a scrapbooker, but the reality is I even have trouble getting the film in to get developed!  My absolute favorite hobby in the world (unless eating chocolate can be considered a hobby…) is horses. I've owned, trained, raised and/or showed numerous horses since I was 9 years old and still have my Arabian mare Fanci Free, who is now 30.

    I met Duane in a college art class, where we had to draw each other and never did stop laughing. We married in 1990.

    I'm a stay-at-home mom and writer, and live with my husband and our two sons  in Southeastern, Michigan. We own and love Ashley, our 18 year-old slightly insane cat who sometimes purrs at us and sometimes bites us.

    I've had many articles published and won several writing awards, but "Lemons" is my first inspirational Christian humor book.  I am almost finished with my second book, due out in 2011.