I was born and raised in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, ventured away for a few years to attend Colorado State University, and eventually returned in the summer of 2010. While in college, I spent a semester in marching band, participated in Pre-Veterinary Club, serving as the Newsletter Editor my final year, worked in two research laboratories, and never dreamed that I would pursue a career as a writer.
Encouraged by my first roommate in the dorms (directly) and by my evil band director (indirectly), I picked up writing as a weekend hobby and started my novels “Layne to Rest” and “Under Examination” my freshman year. Most of my attention, however, was focused on my classes, extracurricular activities, and lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian.
After graduating with bachelor’s degrees in zoology and biological science, my hopes of staying in Colorado were dashed by financial constraints, and I was forced to return home. I accepted a cashiering position with a major retailer (a quick browse through my manuscript titles should give you a good idea which one) to “hold me over” until I found a laboratory job or applied to vet school. I ended up falling in love with the job instead, and the free time it afforded me to focus on my other interests. A couple of years later, I was promoted – if you can call it that – to customer service, where I still am today.
Along the way, I discovered that veterinary medicine is not for me, nor is anything else that requires additional education on any scale greater than a two-day seminar. I finally escaped my parents’ basement and finished the two novels I had started in college, then went on to write several more, including the Under Examination series, which evolved from a writing exercise into a trilogy before becoming an open-ended series.
These days, I’m living a pretty boring life with tropical fish as roommates (my landlord wouldn’t let me have a cat), and dividing most of my time between work and writing. I still manage to make some space in my schedule for other interests, such as hiking, hanging out with friends, photography, microbiology, and playing with other people’s pets. I honestly have no idea where God will lead me next on this crazy journey, but I can pretty much guarantee that it will be worth the trip!
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