About Me
That's me, the middle kid. Yes, middle kid syndrome is real, haha. The giggly blonde baby is now one of the best K-4 teachers on the planet - if your child hasn't come home raving about their teacher then they didn't have her. The serious elder in the photo is an accomplished nature photographer. This photo was taken Easter, 1970, on a little brown sofa in Alabama. We lived in Tuscaloosa until I was six years old.
I've always been a creative person. When I was a kid, I created my own dollhouse out of shoeboxes and toothpicks. It met an unfortunate end under a size 12 shoe when the wearer of the shoe didn't see it in the floor. Oh well. I also wrote stories. I remember one story I titled, No Fresca for Mesca, and had my handwriting been neater it might have met with a better reception. When I was in my Nancy Drew phase I used to write mysteries involving sisters. I created "pretend newspapers" for my cousins, and I wrote poetry all of the time. I even dabbled in writing a couple of plays and a musical, although I think Broadway can rest comfortably and not plan for my debut. Writing is a natural extension for me, a stress-reliever, and a way to express myself. It is also a way to explore the world. I'm not saying it is easy - writing isn't easy. But I absolutely love it, and hope kids who write are encouraged by their family and teachers to keep at it! The photo is a publicity photo I used to send out when I was singing. I made a record and it got some local airplay. It was a fun time, and sometimes I miss it.
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My grandmother was a voracious reader. She always had piles and piles of books next to her desk, some she was reading, some she had read, and some waiting. My mother was much the same way but she got her books from the library. Nana lived waaaaay out in the country so getting to the library wasn't as simple as it was for Mama, who lived in town. Nana always said her father was a big reader, and he loved a good story. When they worked in the fields on a blistering hot summer day, he would tell Nana stories, some from the Bible, some from life, and some he made up, to keep her and her brothers and sister entertained and motivated. Nana loved the art of the story and she shared that love with my mother, who shared it with me. Now I would like to share it with you.
Where to Read My Work
"None But a Mule" in The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, January 2022
"Some Wounds" on The Literary Yard
Telling Stories 3, CAW Anthology, "The Little Leather Radio"
Contest Winning, "The Interview" in Chattanooga Writer's Guild 2020 Anthology
"This story's brilliance lies in the character development achieved through the interior monologue of the narrator. Believable characters and an ordinary setup give the story verisimilitude even with a somewhat "unbelievable" storyline. While the plot at first appears very meager, the story fleshes out through carefully placed details and ends with a sense of more to come, and the lack of a real resolution is most satisfying." Sherry Poff, Fiction Contest Judge
"Rosellen's Little Reader," Calhoun Magazine
Learn about the Ferst Readers Program
The Old Red Kimono
Request the April 2019 Edition