I’m so happy you’ve stopped by to visit. Perhaps you’ll get to know me as you explore these pages. Becoming an author has been a journey I hadn’t planned, but is the culmination of a dream I had as a child: to one day write a novel.

I began my career as a first grade teacher. The children loved stories, whether they were the picture books we took time to read each day, or stories I made up for them. “Someday,” I told them, “I’ll write a book.” We all giggled, as if it were a silly figment of our imaginations.

By the time I was teaching high school students, I was fully immersed in continuing my own education. First, a master’s degree, then a doctorate in nutrition science. As I delved into research for my dissertation, I’d say to myself, “When this is done, I hope to write a novel.”

Several years later, I began teaching at the college level. I discovered that a story far better illustrated a topic than a boring lecture. In fact, my students would tell me that I should write a book. “Someday,” I’d say, trying to put shape on that faded dream.

Eventually moving into college administration, I was submerged with writing accreditation reports, curriculum documents, and program dossiers. My aspiration of writing fiction was long-buried.

As with all of us, life is full of crazy twists and turns. As I prepared for retirement, I had so many questions. What would I do with my time? What does the future hold? I thought about a retreat I had once made in a cabin at a monastery–a poustinia.

I sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, a notebook, and a pen, and began to write the story of Victoria. Poustinia: A Novel was born.