Susan

I suppose you could say I had a fairly normal upbringing. Two parents. Two sibs. A dog. A cat. Oh yeah–and sheep, chickens, goats, ponies, a cow, and (if memory serves) we had pigs at one point. Still not sure why. We weren’t Old McDonald and definitely didn’t have a farm. Go figure.

As I grew up, one constant in my life has been my stories. I wrote in elementary school (I had a strong fascination with unicorns then), in high school (lost count of how many teen series I had going at once), and did lots of journaling in college. Bars, boys, and occasionally studying eventually stole the place of my writing time.  Besides, I needed to prepare myself for a “real” job, right?

The highlight of my college experience had to be the year I spent in Italy. Can you say gelato? I did. As often as I could. Then, I graduated from California State University Hayward with a BA in Philosophy and a minor in Political Science. Everyone wonders why I picked Philosophy, but my mom’s just happy I graduated and all her poking, prodding and moola didn’t go to waste (love you, Mom!).

After several “real” jobs in the legal and insurance fields, I’m now writing full time. Why?  Through all my education and experiences, I’ve finally realized that my “real” job is the job I make real.  Why didn’t anyone tell me?

If I’d had the ability to write at birth, I think I would have. There’s a never-ending amount of stories in my head and I’d need to be at the keyboard 24/7 to get them all out…actually, that probably wouldn’t be enough time.  Friends tell me I talk fast, but they should hear how fast I think.  The characters are constantly dialoguing in my head, having their experiences, and it’s my job, purpose, or whatever you want to call it, to get it down on paper.

What do I write?  Pretty much whatever calls to me. Quirky characters. Zany experiences. Paranormal elements.  Life is amazing, people are fascinating, and imagination is endless.  In fiction, anything goes…it’s a blast.

I once read that a writer has something to say to the world.  I think it’s my characters that have something to say and I’m the conduit who gets that info to readers.  A writer is a major part of who I am, so that’s what I do and I love it.