I should have a Garrison Keeler tee-shirt for English majors. We love to share our thoughts. We'll write on anything from old typewriters, such as Larry McMurtry's with the broken "r," to the latest electronic equipment; or we'll write by hand with pen or pencil, later putting our efforts into the computer; but underneath we are shy, thoughtful, poetry loving creatures. We all envy Emily Dickinson her solitude for writing, yet we're out there selling with the best of them in order to share those words we love.
I've always been fascinated by stories. As a child, any time I took my grandfather one of my books, even in the middle of the World's Series, he would stop what he was doing and share the book with me. He wanted me to know that there is nothing more important than reading. We both especially liked George MacDonald, and as I lived vicariously with the Princess and Curdie or heard the West Wind call, I knew that one day I, too, would tell stories.
Throughout my career I've written nonfiction, Regency romances, children's fiction,and contemporary fiction. Now I'm changing course. I once studied with John Crowe Ransom, "the father of modern poetry." He told me he relaxed every night with a mystery. I decided that was good advice and not only read mysteries but was once a long time member of the Hollywood Sherlock Holmes Club and the Los Angeles chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Having repeatedly told my students to write what they love to read, I am taking my own advice and working on a mystery.
