BIO
I first got the writing bug when I was young—in first grade to be exact. I had an assignment from my teacher on “What is a Friend” it ended up being published in the school magazine. My mom had it framed and it stayed up on the kitchen wall all my life until she had to move out of my childhood home. That small bit of recognition encouraged me to keep on writing all through my childhood. I loved the attention I got without having to stand in front of anybody.
In 8th grade I wrote a story about a mild-mannered geography teacher R. Bowden (my actual teacher’s name) who went into the broom closet and turned into Superguy and was thrilled when my English teacher read it out loud. AND SO…I kept writing them. I majored in English at a small liberal arts college in Minnesota and ended up eventually in a job that requires lots of writing—a pastor. I love channeling my creativity into writing sermons and even dramas and songs for worship.
Several years ago while on a sabbatical (that’s a long break pastors and other professional people sometimes take for renewal, rest and study) I asked myself, “Self, what have you always wanted to do?” And my self answered, “Be a writer.” So I took a short course on children’s writing and decided it was time to make my childhood dream come true. I joined a few writing groups like the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, made some wonderful and helpful friends and started working at it until I got my first book, The Pentecost Story, accepted by Concordia Arch Books and published in 2013.
Right now, I’m still a pastor in rural Wisconsin and have a chemist husband and three young adult children. It’s never too late to pursue your dreams! Don’t give up.
