Why do you write? Why did you want to become an author?

I’ve gotten variations of this question a lot and it boils down to a few reasons that can be summed up in a few different ideas: it was very practical, it was so much fun, and it was a way to show my family I wasn’t as stupid as they thought.

After my divorce when my kids were still in early elementary school, I had traditional skills to fall back on as a career. I’ve sold insurance in several states and I’ve been a teacher, but managing traditional full-time jobs with young kids wasn’t easy. (As I’m sure a lot of you know.)