Meet the Author
Let me introduce myself!
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I love to read and have always been an avid reader. I still remember the joy of returning home from the library as a child with an armful of books to devour! Fast forward to North Carolina decades later, and you could find me back in the elementary schools, volunteering as a coach for local teams in the Battle of the Books, a statewide program promoting reading among middle grade students. I believe that reading provides a valuable foundation for lifelong learning, and I encourage parents to start reading to their children as infants.​​
I currently live in central North Carolina, and for a time I lived in a renovated cotton mill village in the area, originally built in the 1880s. I learned the stories of the rural families of that time, some of whom left their failing farms and moved to one of the new cotton mills in the state in an effort to improve their livelihood and their lives. Through my volunteer work and living in the old cotton mill, I learned that the story of those families and those cotton mills was missing from the middle grade bookshelves. I felt I was in the right place to tell the tale.
As the wife of a career U.S. Air Force pilot, my family and I moved from place to place many times and had to face new challenges at each new town and school – just like Ginny in Finding Your Place. Of course, Ginny has other challenges, too, including the death of her beloved grandmother, leaving behind her friends and having to make new ones, caring for her family’s chickens, and learning to fit in at the cotton mill village. I hope you’ll enjoy reading her story.
I have worked as a corporate communications consultant, writer, and editor for more than 30 years, primarily in the Washington, D.C., area. In 1997, I opened my own consulting company, then moved my business to central North Carolina in 2006. I retired from full-time work in 2015.
I’m originally from Charleston, South Carolina, and I earned my bachelor's degree at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. I am the mother of three, grandmother of 12, and great grandmother of four (and counting). My husband Mike and I live in the wonderful little town of Hillsborough, NC.
People are asking...
What inspired you to write this story of a young farm girl?
Two things that happened in my life simultaneously brought this story to mind and this book to fruition.
First, I have always been a voracious reader. Soon after moving to North Carolina, I had the opportunity to be a coach for my grandchildren’s elementary-school teams in North Carolina’s Battle of the Books competition, a statewide program promoting reading. As a coach, I had to read a lot of books, and I was reminded how much I love middle-grade literature.
Around the same time, my husband and I lived in a renovated cotton mill village in Burlington, NC, that was built in the 1880s. Many of the original mill houses were still there (though updated and enlarged). The old cotton mill was still there, too, as was the Company Store, the center of village life. As I learned more about life in the mill village, its people, where they came from, and the challenges they faced in their new world, I realized there was nothing on the school book shelves to help today’s children understand this part of their history. So, I decided to write this book and tell them.
Do you have a target audience for this story?
I believe readers ages 8 to 12 would enjoy this story of friendship, adventure, and adapting to change. Though the main character is a girl, boys, too, will be able to identify with Ginny’s challenges and how she manages to find a place for herself in a strange new environment.
With death and grief being a powerful element of your story, how do you think young children will benefit from experiencing these themes through your story?
Many children experience death at a relatively young age. Both of my grandfathers died when I was ten, so my brother and sisters and I learned early that death is a part of living. It was hard. If my readers have experienced the death of a family member, friend, or someone else close to them, they will likely remember their own sadness and bewilderment from that time. By reading this story, they may feel less alone or less guilty or less scared when they discover others feel the same way they do. And if a reader has not experienced death, remembering Ginny’s story of resilience might help them through the loss when it inevitably occurs.
As a mother, how did your experience raising young children influence your writing process?
First of all, as a military family we moved a lot. My children had to change schools, leave friends behind, and get used to a new neighborhood, a new town, and once, a new country where they didn’t even speak the language. It was challenging for everyone. So I knew what Ginny and her family would be going through as they each tried to make their way in the mill village.
Also, I think parents everywhere realize that no two children are alike—even when they’re brought up in the same home! They each have their own talents and skills, their own ways of looking at and reacting to the world. Knowing this allowed me to make my characters unique. Like a mother, I gave them guidance and structure, but I let them be themselves.
In one example, I didn’t know Rowena was going to be an only child until I got to the paragraph where she was talking to Ginny’s mom about the makeup of her family. I knew not everyone came from a big, happy family like I did. I knew of families that had been shattered by death or broken by divorce. Rowena, as a character, was able to share her experience because I know everyone is different and I allowed her to tell her own story as my writing progressed.
As a resident of North Carolina, how did your home influence and inspire you to write this story of North Carolina cotton mills?
I haven’t always lived in North Carolina. I grew up and went to school in Charleston, South Carolina. After marrying, I followed my husband’s Air Force career, living in 12 cities, 10 states, and one foreign country. We ended up in North Carolina, which has been my home for almost 20 years. I have fallen in love with the Great North State’s distinct geography and beauty and have loved learning about its history and its people.
Being a writer of historical fiction, I get to tell readers about place, people, and history—and there’s a lot to talk about in North Carolina. The story of failing family farms and the rise of the cotton mills touched me. It speaks to the strength and resilience of North Carolinians of the past and makes me proud to share their story with today’s readers.
What do you hope your readers will gain the most from this story? What aspects of your story do you think will leave readers feeling inspired and better off?
I’m hopeful that young readers—especially those who live where mill life was prevalent—will enjoy learning about the history and the tough decisions and determination of those who came before them. I hope they will see that the challenges faced by children 130 years ago are similar to those faced by today’s readers—claiming death, experiencing hardship, struggling to be accepted, and learning what it means to be human.