My inner voice has a southern accent.

I was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois and lived there for 34 years.

Since 2011, I have been a resident of Horry County, South Carolina, living at “the beach” in the Surfside/Garden City area since 2016. It is the home my heart was always meant to find. I’m always a little shocked when I hear my own voice in a recording; the Chi-CA-go is still very much there. My soul, however, is southern!

At age 40-something,

I have gathered a few nuggets and some treasures:

· It took me some time to find my place in my new home state, but now it’s hard to imagine a different one. I love the small-town feeling, the community, and the miles of beach. I know hundreds of people here and make my kids roll their eyes with all the random conversations everywhere we go!

· I am a mom of all seasons. I married an older man with two kids of his own. We went on to have three children together, and two more who were born to heaven. We also have a granddaughter the same age as our youngest son – and a new grandbaby to boot! So my mothering experience, while compressed into 20ish years, sometimes feels as ancient as the trees. I am currently raising two dynamic teenage girls and one charming, young southern gentleman – and I love to talk with other mamas in the various and glorious trenches.

· Those two miscarriages, one before and one after the birth of our little boy, shook my life, my faith, and my perspective. A major turning point in my healing was found in exercise. It began in my home with an exercise video subscription. It culminated at a running store in Myrtle Beach, where I became a happy employee, a passionate store manager, and now, the co-owner! That’s a whole Kell of a story! – but you can see all about the store here.

· Oh yeah, and I love to run! I have two marathons in the books, but I enjoy half marathons and 10Ks much more! Running friends are the absolute best! I’ve thrown weight training into my regimen, too…. getting ready for my strong old lady body some day!

· The moments of spare time I can carve are spent at the beach, enjoying Gen-X pop culture, cooking, reading, and being my husband’s number one fan. It all comes down to a love of being with my people, which includes my husband Rod, our kids, our parents, our pups, and our “framily.”

· While my fiction is not overtly Christian, I am a Jesus girl who is continually honing my understanding and application of a grace-driven, Holy-Spirit-led life – and all my writing is colored with that perspective. It makes all the difference. I love to take those experiences and lessons and turn them into smile-inducing, heart-lifting words – and I love connecting with my readers!