It’s time for some more Filly Fun Facts. Are you ready???? Here we go…
Top 10 Things You Might Not Know About Me
- I live next door to my in-laws . . . and LOVE it! From built-in day care for the kids when they were smaller to easy family meals together, to shared grills and shared newspaper subscriptions, having my husband’s family move in next door a decade ago was an unexpected blessing.
- I once lost the diamond out of my wedding ring only to find it a day later (after searching everywhere at home and at work) when I pulled a tissue out of my bathroom tissue box. Somehow the stone had fallen into the box and when I pulled out a new tissue, I heard a tinkling sound and found the diamond on the counter. Never have I thanked God more for a runny nose!
- My oldest child (my only daughter) is graduating from high school this year and she graduates on my 45th birthday. No, I won’t be feeling old or anything. I’ll be too proud of her as she gives her valedictorian speech. Smart and sassy, just the way I like my heroines.
My kids with the in-laws from next door. Bethany is in the ACU sweatshirt. Go Wildcats! - Whenever I have free time (a very RARE commodity), I love to cross stitch. Here’s a set of simple cameo silhouettes I made for my editors a couple years ago for Christmas.
- After 13 years of carrying around the extra pounds I gained with my last baby, I finally lost n 27 pounds last year, and so far have kept it off. Even with my frequent forays into the bowl of dark chocolate that resides in my living room.
- I’ve ridden a mule in Bryce Canyon, swum with sea turtles in Maui, and when I was young and stupid, held a 13 pound boa constrictor around my neck. I recommend the first two but not the third.
I was a band nerd all through junior high and high school but switched to choir in college because of the boy I was dating. Ended up marrying that fella, and now we have our own harmonizing quintet on the church pew every Sunday. Love it! (Though, I’m raising band nerds at the same time. My daughter plays my old flute, my older son plays the French horn, and my youngest plays the trumpet.)- I don’t drink coffee. Ever. I know, I know. It’s shameful. Coffee’s supposed to be the elixir of life, right? Especially for writers. But I never developed a taste for it. I prefer a simple cup of Lipton hot tea sweetened with honey. Mmmmm.
- I have a black thumb. Well, not literally. In respect to plants. I have a tendency to kill the majority of plants that have had the misfortune to come home with me. A few hearty ones have survived, like the aloe vera plant in the kitchen window that continues to survive despite my best efforts to do it in. And the roses on the side of the house have managed to pull through despite a run in with some sort of blight last year. I should post a sign on my back door that says, “If you contain chlorophyll, enter at your own risk.”
- Even though I write historical romance, I hated history classes in school. Math was more my style. Maybe it was because my teachers always seemed to be coaches that got stuck in the history classroom, or maybe it was because all the textbooks emphasized wars and politics. Boring. Yet I loved historical novels. Little House on the Prairie, Anne of Green Gables, THAT was the history I feel in love with. So when you read one of my novels today, you won’t find a plot that centers around war or political intrigue or even key historical events. No, my books are focused on people and the lesser known, yet meaningful aspects of life in 19th century that shaped their lives and their loves.
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n fact, I’m giving one of those books away today. This story incorporates a lot of true facts from history, from the opening scene where the hero finds himself on a real-from-history steamboat that exploded in New Orleans to the epilogue where the hero and heroine honeymoon in England with a trip to the Great Exhibition where they make another real-life discovery. Mixing among these facts is a healthy dose of pirate lore, romance, and author imagination.
For a chance to win an autographed copy of Full Steam Ahead simply leave a comment and tell me which item from my top ten list surprised you the most. (Winner will be announced at the end of the week. US residents only.)