I was born in Upland, California, but my earliest memories are growing up in Southern Oregon in a little town called Rogue River.  I lived in a blue house with five acres on Foots Creek Road. My home wasn't zoned for cable, so our TV  had just two stations.  With no TV and Pong (only videogame), my cousin, Dacia, and I spent the majority of our time raiding the local library.  We  participated annually in the Summer Reading Program and I actually read all the books on my list for the polished rocks and key chains.  I didn't figure out until way later that I could have cheated and still got them, but at any rate, it started my love of literature.   

While living on the "house on the hill," we had about every type of animal imaginable: chickens, geese, pigs, a horse, and even a cow at one point.  I was a little “geeky” growing up, even though I tried very hard not to be.  I was in band, speech and debate, and the 4-H club (President, sad to say).  I did play sports like soccer, softball, cross-county, track, and dance team (if that counts).  I lived a mile up the road from Foots Creek Chapel, which was a huge influence in my life, considering the first people I met in Oregon was Pastor Stephens, and his wife, Grace.  There, I was involved in youth group, choir, and the Christmas plays.     

When I was seventeen, I moved to Reno, Nevada with my mom.  She made me attend a private school because, according to her, my “country bumpkin” background would get me in trouble with those “city kids.”  So, I went to the Church Academy, wore a uniform, and pushed my boundaries every chance I had.  The Dean, Mr. Pope, once commented that I was a product of a “public school” and it was his job to change me.  Well, he never really did, even though I started to comply to the rules after a while.  I was sick of writing a gazillion sentences, which seemed to get longer and longer with every demerit.  I think I hold the ole time record of 750 sentences, which equates to 28 demerits in one day.

So, Reno it was for a while.  I graduated from high school, started going to college, and worked a ton of odd jobs.

I graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2003.  I received two Bachelor degrees, one in Criminal Justice, and the other in Psychology.  My minors were Philosophy and Related Studies to Criminal Justice.  I am also a member of Phi Theta Kappa and Golden Key International Honor Societies.

From college, I moved back to Oregon, the very state I swore never to return, but here I am.  A couple of months after moving back, I was hired with the State of Oregon in the Department of Human Services.  Making a steady paycheck definitely has its benefits, not to mention actually having insurance.  Gone now are my days of serving at Red Lobster, working side by side with Erin, Jen, Lauren, and loathing the All You Can Eat Shrimp Feast.  

Now that I'm in Oregon, I've taken up snowboarding again (you can see some cool pictures in the photo album), I read a ton; mostly historical fiction, and, of course, I write.  Oregon has definitely been an ideal setting for me to really pound out a lot of stories thanks to the unrelenting... RAIN!