 |
| Welcome! Enjoy the pics! Some share pieces of my family life, while others share my professional life.
|
| Family Life
|
 My husband, Sonny, is one of the biggest supporters of my writing.
Employed by an airplane manufacturing company, he also has a strong interest in real estate. He enjoys working on projects around the house, so our remodeling projects keep expanding. But, it's worth it. We love the results. We enjoy having family and friends over. This particular day, he was barbequing for a luau in our backyard.
|
 |
| Our girls . . . Ana (daughter) Katrina (step-daughter) & Brooke (daughter). They're awesome. We're blessed! This was taken at Katrina's bridal shower.
|
 Brooke and her husband.
With Doug's passion for both music and business, he has the perfect job as District Manager for a corporation of music stores. Brooke's passions are music, dance, and acting. She performs in various theaters in the Seattle area. |
 Katrina and her husband. Jon works in computer programming and is the first person we call when we need tech help. He's also into sailing and flying small aircraft. Katrina works as a membership service rep at Group Health. |
 Ana is an outgoing, social young woman. She has a great sense of humor and a gift for making people feel welcome and comfortable. She's worked as an event specialist for several years and enjoyed working with a variety of clients, especially brides planning their weddings and receptions. She's now rethinking that career path and is exploring several other options. |
 After being blonde for twenty-four years, Ana decided to see what life would be like as a brunette. With darker hair, people told her that she looked smarter. Men took her more seriously and treated her with more respect. You hear about similar experiments, or watch them in TV documentaries, but to know someone who's actually experienced it, made it even more realistic and fascinating.
|
 |
| Katrina's wedding day - August, 2008.
It was a big day for the bride - and for her dad. |
 |
| Brooke, Katrina, & Ana |
 Doug & Sonny |
 |
| Katrina & Jon |
 |
| Brooke, Doug, & Ana |
 |
Sonny, Me, Katrina, & Jon
|
| Best Friends
|
 |
Everyone needs best friends . . . and these are mine. Leann, Joan, and Tina have been there for me and our family through many ups and downs. They've laughed with us and cried with us. All we need to do is call, and they come running. Just like the song! This photo was taken during Katrina and Jon's wedding reception. Temperatures reached near 90 degrees that day. Unusual August weather for Seattle. Can you tell that we were a little warm? They were troopers and celebrated with our family - even in the extreme heat.
|
| My Environment
|
 |
| Mt. Rainier |
 These photos were taken while hiking in the mountains. I love living in the Pacific Northwest. We're surrounded by the Olympic and Cascade mountains - yet the ocean is also in reach. It's beautiful here. An unlike the myths that people believe, it really doesn't rain ALL the time. |
 One of many gorgeous sunsets.
This view is of Puget Sound from the hills of Seattle.
You can take a ferry from the city's waterfront to Bainbridge Island and back. It's only a twenty minute trip one way. If you go while the sun is setting, the view of the city is amazing. Seattle takes on a golden glow from the light reflecting off the buildings. |
 |
| I love flowers and fill my yard with them. |
| |
Sanctuary in our backyard.
My office is to the right.
This is the view I have while working at my desk. |
 |
| My writing space. |
 |
| A great place to read. |
 |
Time to get busy!
|
| Professional Life
|
| AMERICAN CHRISTIAN FICTION WRITERS CONFERENCE - MINNEAPOLIS - 2008
|
 |
| Gail Sattler, me, Annette Irby, & Evelyn Ray at the awards banquet during the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference in Minneapolis, September, 2008.
Gail is the author of many romance novels and is not only my friend - she's been my "roomy" at conferences for four years. Annette is the author of the novel, "Love Letters," one of my critique partners, and a spiritual inspiration for me. Evelyn is a gifted critiquer and we miss her since she moved out of our area. It's been wonderful to see her at the conference every year. |
 |
| My dear friend, Cynthia Ruchti, and me. Cynthia is one of the writers and producers of the radio ministry,"The Heartbeat of the Home." She's also one of the editors of the magazine,"Backyard Friends." I've been priviledged to write for both. |
 |
| Natasha Kern, Annette, Julie Lessman, and me. Natasha is a well-known and respected agent in the industry. Julie is one of my favorite authors. She wrote, "A Passion Most Pure," an awesome historical romance. We worked together on a piece for my blog that discussed the book and the pressures that young Christians face today. |
 |
| Angela Hunt, our keynote speaker. One of my favorite novels written by Angela is "Uncharted." I thought about the book for weeks after reading it. |
 |
| The ACFW conference is a bit different from other writers' conferences. Each day we have a short time of worship. It's quite an experience to sing with close to six-hundred people from all over the country and from all denominations. For several years I've been blessed to be part of the worship team as a vocalist, and was excited to receive an invitation to continue with the team. From left to right: Nicole Young, me, Annette Irby, Cynthia Ruchti, and Cassie Campbell. |
| |
 |
| Members of the vocal team include Meredith Efken, Annette, and Cynthia. How could I ask for more? I get to sing with really cool friends who are not only fun, but who love to worship together. |
 |
| Meredith, me, Annette, Cynthia, and Cassie |
 |
| Cassie on guitar, Rachel Hauck (leader & keys), and Gail Sattler on bass. |
 |
One of the highlights of the conference was the book signing at the Mall of America. Approximatley 227 authors participated, showing the public that Christian fiction has much to offer readers. Two panels were interviewed. The one shown in the pic includes authors; Angela Hunt, Karen Ball, James Scott Bell, and Brandilyn Collins. Do you see whose photo is up on the screen? Non other than my friend and "roomy," Gail Sattler.
|
| AMERICAN CHRISTIAN FICTION WRITERS CONFERENCE - DALLAS - 2007
|
 |
| My critique partners, Annette Irby, and Ocieanne Fleiss. What would I do without them? |
 |
| I've promoted three of DiAnn Mills' books on my blog. My favorite was "Lightning & Lace." It was fun to connect with her at the conference. |
 |
| Michelle Sutton was the first friend I made in the publishing world. A prolific writer, she's also a go-getter when it comes to promoting Christian fiction. She was my critique partner for several years. |
 |
| Singing my little heart out as a vocalist on the worship team. |
 |
| Author, Rachel Hauck, serves as leader of the worship team. She's awesome! |
 |
| Two wonderful writers. Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of historical and comtemporary romances. Brandilyn Collins writes chilling suspense and likes to include dead bodies in her stories. What more can I say? |
 |
| My writing buds, Annette Irby, and Gail Sattler. |
