Books have always been my constant companions, all the way back to when I was reading Gus, The Friendly Ghost from the Weekly Reader Book Club. I grew up in a house of readers, and my mom bought me books like other parents bought their kids candy. I did well in school, finishing my work quickly - so I could read. I never went anywhere without a book. It was no surprise that in high school, I was voted Class Bookworm - and scored the Valedictorian slot. (Yes, I was slightly geeky. But only slightly. Never mind what my high school classmates say. ) In elementary school, I loved writing stories and keeping a journal. In high school, I wrote lots of poetry filled with the usual teen-age angst. I wrote the lyrics to my brand-new high school's alma mater. But did I ever consider a career as a writer back then? No, not at all. I went to college and became an elementary teacher, spending ten years passing on my love for books and reading to children. I adored being a teacher. I will admit, the year I was pregnant with my son, I actually started a novel for young adults, and I outlined a concept for some children's series books. But, those things fell by the wayside. Then I moved from New Jersey, the state where I'd been born and raised and worked for all those years. After a one year stint in West Virginia, I landed in Erie, Pennsylvania. I absolutely love Erie - though I love it most in June, July, and August. But I discovered that getting a teacher's certificate in PA is....well, not easy, to say the least. I taught in a private school here the first year, then I homeschooled my son for a year. At the end of that year, I needed SOMETHING to restore my sanity (let me just say that I admire those who can homeschool successfully - for me, I wanted to trade my son, whom I love very much, in for 25 kids that belonged to other people) - and I turned to writing fiction. I started by dabbling in fanfiction, and wrote like a woman possessed. (After all, I did hear voices in my head. ) I learned a lot about the craft of writing from other fanfiction writers. Over and over again, romances surfaced in my fanfiction stories. Then, in Dec. 1999, I decided that I was going to go for it. I made it my New Year's Resolution to learn all I could about writing romance, and to do it. I had a five-year goal - I wanted to sell a novel by the time I turned 40 - five years from then. I did reserve the right to modify that goal in the future. I signed up for an on-line writing romance class, joined Romance Writers of America and Pennwriters, and started writing my first romance novel. Which had some serious failings. ;-) But I finished it. A whole novel. And sent off a query letter and received the rite-of-passage, a form rejection. I retitled the book, reworked it toward another publisher, sent off another query, received another rejection. Hey, no one ever said it was going to be easy. Meanwhile, I'd started another book, and while the characters were a lot of fun, I wasn't totally sure where the story was going. Somehow, the basic premise for The Baby Plan was born while I was playing with GMC's (Goal, Motivation, & Conflicts) for that other book. Then, Harley sprang to life, and that was it. The other book had to be abandoned, because Harley insisted I write her story. She wouldn't let me rest. In February of 2002, I got THE CALL from Harlequin Superromance ®, saying they wanted to buy The Baby Plan. I did my best to act dignified on the phone, then yelled like a banshee when I hung up. To say I was thrilled is the understatement of the century. I've now gone Indie with my books, and I'm loving being in complete control over the decisions I make with my books. I hope you enjoy them.