"Dilettante" sounds a lot better than "short attention span." It's pretty accurate, too. I've had an assortment of jobs (too many to mention) and a bunch of careers: accountant, Coca-Cola bottler, botanical consultant, writer, editor, publisher, and (best of all) wife and mother.

The great thing about such a varied life is the opportunity it offers to meet interesting people, learn assorted and often odd facts and try a lot of new stuff. From astronomy to volkssport, with occasional detours into needlework, gardening, silver-smithing, and a bunch of other hobbies, as well as learning new skills needed to do my jobs, I've managed to flit about a good bit in my life.

Noting comes in so handy as a head full of odd facts when plotting a book. My interest in my own family's history helped me find plots and characters for my historical romances. And all those places I've traveled to, both on vacation and when I was a consultant, gave me terrific locales for my books.

It's great fun being an author, after spending the first half of my life saying, "I'm going to write a book someday."

And I did. Quite a few, in fact. Still writing, too.

So pull up a soft chair, have a cup of tea (or a glass of wine?) and let's journey together, to the Regency period in England, to the American West, and around Oregon and nearby states. We'll even take some quick trips to Italy, France and England, if we have time. The photo above was taken at Giverney, Monet's incredibly beautiful gardens near Paris. There's a lot of interesting country out there, a lot of fascinating characters to meet, and I've still got some exciting stories to tell.

P.S. Yes, my hair really was pink and turquoise. It's a long story...