On school nights when I was supposed to be sleeping, I hid under the covers with my trusty flashlight and turned the pages of my favorite books. I read everything my parents brought home for themselves from the library—Somerset Maugham, Jane Austen, and Upton Sinclair—and chose books on my own to wander the galaxies with Ursula Le Guin, Isaac Azimov and Harlan Ellison.
Today, I live in a quirky beach village, a place that brings me joy, surrounded with the best of neighbors and friends. Ken and I share a cottage with adored cat Arlo, who loafs next to my keyboard and occasionally types extra spaces into my stories. He’s my favorite muse. Mornings, the leaves crackle underfoot in our backyard, and rescue squirrel Owen scrabbles out of the sweeping oaks for a hazelnut.
Pinkie’s Turnabout was sparked by my experience caring for my mother. When Mom came to live with us, her life was filled with friends and quilting and church. But within a few months, she had drifted away into dementia. Arlo befriended her just like Pinkie’s Jack won GG’s heart.
Pinkie would not have grown into the funny, loving, mistake-maker she is without the Skywriters, a fiercely supportive critique group of award-winning authors.
