A few weeks ago, I asked my readers what they wanted me to write about in this column. Barbara Longley wanted to know more about me personally, so here it goes. 🙂
I live with my husband Mark in Sacramento, California. I’m an Arizona boy originally – although I was born in Southern California, I grew up in Tucson, and still have an abiding love for the mountains and desert beauty of Southern Arizona.
I moved to Rancho Cucamonga, an LA – area bedroom community – in 1984 to live with my Dad for a year, and stayed through my high school graduation in 1986. Yes, I am really that old. LOL…
I always wanted to be a writer, at least since I read The Lord of the Rings in third grade, and I took my first step toward that goal in my senior year when I participated in a class project that resulted in this book:
Not exactly my target genre, but it was a start. In 1988, I moved back to California to work for the publisher, Hunter House, and over the next decade I worked at both a book distributor and at Barnes & Noble as a bookseller. I’ve seen it all. LOL…
I met my husband, Mark, in 1992, and we moved in together in two weeks. The pic above is me circa 1992
Meeting Mark was one of those “at first sight” things, and he has been steadfast in his support of my writing career. Love you, Mark!
I took a stab at becoming a published author in the mid nineties, but life and a series of rejections squashed the dream.
In 1999, we started our own web design company, and over the ensuing two decades created a number of sites and directories for the LGBTQ+ community – PurpleRoofs.com, GayRealtyNetwork.com, PurpleUnions.com, Altraverse.com, GayHomeTrade.com, QueerSciFi.com, QueeRomanceInk.com, LimFic.com and more, some of which are now defunct.
I love building communities, and have met so many new friends along the way.
Mark and I have spent the last two decades continually reinventing our business, and I love working for ourselves and working from home. Though I do wish we could go out for dinner and a play or movie once in a while.
It wasn’t until 2013 that I really got serious again about launching my writing career. I had my first publishing success in publishing in 2014, and the rest is history.
I’m now 52, and have been trying to figure out where all those years went. I’m also looking ahead at what comes next as I build our publishing business and try to level up as an author.
Oh, and did I mention I love Oreos and Robotech and the smell of gasoline?
To my writer friends – tell us something about yourself that few people know!