To sum it up in a sentence, I'm a dedicated writer, avid photographer, devoted wife, loving mom, loyal friend, and a voracious reader. But we all know that each of us is more layered and complicated than those descriptions, and I'm no exception. Writing is my passion. I've been writing since I was in grammar school. I wrote my first book, and co-wrote a school play, in the first grade! But honestly, I didn't truly understand how much I needed writing, needed writing’s creative outlet, until I was in college. There I had the opportunity to explore other forms of writing, beyond the familiar, and to explore expressions of the written word through drama, singing, and dance. All of those have strengthened my understanding of the power of words. But still, even then, it took me a few years to see writing as something serious; as something I would be doing for the rest of my life. And now I write every day. Writing is a labor of love. It’s extremely hard at times and a euphoriant at other times. But this is what I'm meant to do. I'm a writer.