I've always had a passion for writing. I can't recall a time when I didn't have stacks of notebooks & journals filled with poems, sketches, & short stories. As the fifth of six siblings, there was always an audience available to provide feedback. Although it was often far more critical than I might have liked, they were always interested & wanted to know how the stories ended. I grew up on the outskirts of a tiny town in southern Louisiana right on the banks of the mighty, muddy, Mississippi River. I spent my days riding dirt bikes and three-wheelers with my siblings across acres of cattle fields & farmland. After marrying my high school sweetheart, we both earned our bachelor's degrees from the only university in the country with a swamp in the middle of it (& yes, there are live alligators in it). Now, we have three daughters, a home filled with character & clutter, & are happily fighting through life together.