Seven years ago, while browsing through books in the local library, I overheard two young middle school boys excitedly talking about a creepy, haunted house on Old Elam Egypt Cemetery Road. The longer I listened to the gruesome tale of murder and ghosts, the prouder I became.

Fifteen years earlier, I’d made that same, freaky story up to scare my younger cousins. The story had lived on and been passed down, only to find me in the most unexpected of places.

From that moment on, I knew creating stories was what I wanted to do–needed to do with my life. Since then, I’ve grown from a naive writer to one who seriously pursues her craft and seeks to be involved with the publishing industry.

I grew up on the salt marshes of Savannah. Crabbing in an aluminum boat at the mouth of the Vernon River, catching the tide going in and out, was the highlight of the summer. Low Country Boil (you can find it on the recipe page!) and fresh fried shrimp lasted all season. Family get-togethers, Sunday dinner, cicadas and fireflies made up my childhood; they're memories and traditions I love to recall and begin anew with my own family.

I love to travel and explore the places I write about. Of course, Savannah is an easy enough trip! There's a haunting feel to the old Colonial town, and it hangs in the air like the balmy coastal air it's surrounded by. Stories of pirates, murder, mahem, wrongly accused, hangings and duels (and ghosts!) abound. A survivor of two major wars and several devastating fires, Savannah is a place meant to inspire, welcome, and linger forever.

Scotland is another place of my heart. Ruggedly beautiful, its proud history clings to the land and its people. I can't think of a season that's better than the other. The air is crisp with the scent of clover and heather. And as you walk through the ruins of a thirteenth-century keep, or the old towne of Edinburgh, the past literally comes alive. (and the food's good, too!)