I was born in central Indiana and grew up on a farm near Kokomo. In 1970 I graduated from Indiana University cum laude, taking a degree in Germanic languages, with minors in history and sociology. I moved to Tennessee in 1992.

When I am not writing, I work part-time as associate editor of adult general interest products at Abingdon Press in Nashville, Tennessee. Before assuming that position, I was a production editor for Bible and reference products. My projects included such major reference works as the critically acclaimed Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation and the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches as well as various academic and professional books. I also assisted with production of several volumes of the New Interpreter's Bible. Prior to joining Abingdon Press, I worked for The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University, assisting with the development and production of a weekly television program devoted to First Amendment rights, broadcast nationally on PBS.

A freelance writer for the past twenty years, I have had articles and poetry published in several regional publications. For the last decade I have concentrated on developing several fiction projects in addition to the American Patriot Series. I am a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the Historical Novel Society.

The mother of three grown daughters and grandmother of three, I live near Charlotte, Tennessee, with my husband, a retired pastor with The United Methodist Church. My passions include studying the Bible, history—especially the medieval European and early American periods—crafts, gardening, and travel. An avid reader, I am especially fond of historical texts, biographies, and novels of adventure, intrigue, and romance.

My Testimony

I was reared in the Mennonite Church and cannot remember a time when I did not know that Jesus loves me. Through the faithful witness of my parents, I came to know my Savior. The most important, life-changing event in my life was my baptism when I was thirteen.

My life has been defined by my faith in God. Even during times when I wandered from his path and through the pain of a failed marriage, God has always been the most important person in my life. I know by experience that it is the prodigal who loves the Father most, for he has seen most vividly the price the Father paid to redeem him. Though I have not yet attained the goal of the high calling of Jesus Christ, it is my joy and privilege to seek always to keep my eyes on him, to listen for his voice, to follow where he leads, and to strive to glorify him in all I do.

Forgiveness and redemption are real. There is a God who loves you and seeks to claim you for his own. You have only to reach out to him for him to find you and carry you home.