Get to Know Rainy...

I can still remember that Christmas when I made a decision that would shape my life. I was eight years old, and money was tight. 

Santa could only bring one “big” gift, and I had to choose: the gorgeous bride doll with her own wardrobe or a writing desk. My heart ached for that doll, but I knew my mom wanted me to pick the desk—somewhere practical for homework and drawing. 

I never dreamed that little desk would become my safe haven, where I’d spend hours writing stories and poems that would carry me through life’s twists and turns.

After high school, I decided I didn’t need college to become a writer—I needed life. Inspired by my favorite poet, Rod McKuen, I hit the road, hitchhiking from city to city, working whatever odd jobs I could find. I wanted to live the kind of stories I hoped to write about. Life on the road was rough, though. I ended up lonely, broke, and sometimes wondering if I’d made the right choice.

Eventually, I settled in Chicago and tried to break into advertising as a copywriter. But without a college degree, the best I could do was work as a department secretary. It wasn’t glamorous, but I used the opportunity to learn everything I could, sneaking peeks at the writers’ work and soaking up their creativity. 

Eventually, I broke through, carving out a career in training writing—a path that brought me not only success but also five national awards. But even then, I wasn’t done learning new things.

Later in life, I went back to school, earning a BA, an MA, and finally my MFA in Creative Writing. After retiring, I spent a few years teaching writing at local colleges, and now I get to do what I’ve always wanted: sit at my little desk and write whatever my heart desires.

One of my proudest moments came after my father passed, when I published his wartime memories in The Able Queen. Using his own words, I put together posthumous memoir of his thrilling exploits in WW2 China, all told in his own voice.

Now, I’m taking a leap into speculative Historical Fiction with my first novel, The Other Side of Moonlight, coming out this spring. 

My debut novel is a Civil War story with a time-travel twist. It tells a true, long-hidden family secret and gives readers a chance to step back in time to another time and place.

Looking back, I’m so glad I didn’t choose that bride doll. That little desk wasn’t just a place to write—it became the cornerstone of my life.