When I speak to readers of my books or make appearances, many ask why I started writing. So here goes.
I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, one of three daughters of a newspaper reporter, mostly photographer, for the Florida Times-Union. Having someone in the family in the newspaper business was like having an open channel to everything going on in our hometown. Dinner as a family was not to be missed, especially as a teenager, when I was reaching the age of questioning everything about life.
My father always shared his work stories with us during dinner, and he listened equally attentively to our everyday stories. His stories were exciting, interesting, heartrending, and occasionally weird: the perfect definition of life. His stories intrigued me and at an early age.
I started writing around the 7th grade. My earliest attempts centered on trying to create stories based on my father’s stories. Sometimes all I wanted was a better ending. I also kept journals all my life, filled with events, places, and people whose characters or experiences I would someday draw upon for a story. My closet is stacked full with them.
My mother had her hand in shaping my desire to write, as well. We often sat late into the evening in our Florida room talking not only about the day’s events and the reasons behind some of my dad’s stories, but also about how we might respond, personally, if we found ourselves in similar circumstances. My mother was an incredibly compassionate person. I never heard her speak ill of anyone, ever. Instead, she’d pose two questions: “What would you do in the same circumstances? How would you change things?”
Together, my parents instilled in me the values for living my own life. And in doing so, they gave me the pattern for development of the characters I create—people who face similar challenges and must ask themselves those same questions. How grateful I am for their inspiration. Writing has always been my life’s joy.
Becoming a flight attendant late in life has given me even more to write about, but we’ll talk about that the next time.