Raised and still living in Louisville, KY, I'm fortunate to have a mom who loves books and read to me when I was a child (especially remembered are The Velveteen Rabbit, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Andersen's Fairy Tales, and The Wreck of the Hesperus), and who enrolled me in The Great Books Program at my Parochial school. From there my favorite authors became the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, even as I devoured inventor biographies, Nancy Drew, and The Hardy Boys mysteries. Go figure.
As a tall, shy, skinny late-bloomer in sophomore year of high school, I had issues with a classmate who was infuriatingly bossy and a fascinating 'mankiller.' I spent the following summer writing a novel based on my impressions of her, and by the time junior year began, I saw her in a much more benevolent light--all because of the manuscript I'd written. This was a revelation to me--the power of inventing and manipulating your own little world on paper (yes, it was literally on spiral notebook paper.) And even better--my sister and cousins liked reading it! On the next summer break, I wrote a sequel, which by that time was purely fun indulgence and a way to pass some early-morning babysitting hours.
I enrolled in art college for three semesters, the first on a full scholarship that I blew on good times. Then the money ran out. About the time I entered the corporate world, I discovered Daphne du Maurier, Anya Seton, and Sergeanne (Anne) Golon, the latter two of whose richly historical novels mesmerized me. Lots of contemporary novels came my way, too, but my biggest love remained historicals--not necessarily romance, although a share of it (think Edith Wharton, Barbara Taylor Bradford and Phyllis A. Whitney) certainly didn't bother me. Then I encountered early works by Kathleen Woodiwiss (sorry, Pat, for mocking them at first) and later Teresa Medeiros, both of whose heroes made me ask, "Where ARE these amazing men???" (They don't exist, of course, although at that time I was still hoping.) But I didn't write again until I'd been married eight years, left the corporate world, had two boys, and bought my first computer. No more notebook paper!
It's worth mentioning that when my grandma died and I saw her children having to go through all her possessions, I went home and threw away my college journals and both of my high school manuscripts. 'Nuff said.
These days I read historical fiction (Phillipa Gregory is my favorite), an occasional contemporary, European travelogues, spiritual and metaphysical books, quilting books, and biographies (many Pre-Raphaelite related). In 2010, my art school background re-asserted itself and I began making landscape quilts (see Linda's Landscapes, seller lwulf, on Etsy.com). I also work with energy therapy, Reiki in particular. I live with my husband and three cats in an official bird sanctuary in Kentucky.