Okay, as much as I love to write, I HATE writing profile updates. Let's see how awkward it's going to be THIS time around...

I've been writing fan fiction since before I knew fan fiction was a thing. I remember writing reams and reams of Ben/Felicity (admit it you shipped them too) when I was a preteen. The only thing that survived from before I joined FFN in 2006 was my story 'Come Closer, Miss Ingram' which I wrote as a final project for a college class centered around the book Jane Eyre. (This was spring of 2008, when I was a freshman, so... yeah, I'm old.) I actually found a hard copy of that story a while back and digitized it, which is a fun thing that computers can do now. For being written more than 20 years ago, I'm surprised not to be more embarrassed by that one!

I started writing fan fiction in earnest in 2006, because of NCIS. (The episode that sucked me in was SWAK - I have always been, and always will be, a hurt comfort girl.) At the time I was a stay at home mom to two young kids (added a third in 2008) and I was heavily involved in the fan community, and writing fic was a natural extension of that. I produced gobs of NCIS fic, and I don't mind admitting that a lot of it was terrible (I do thin the herd from time to time; I like to think I've deleted the most cringeworthy stuff by now).

But here's the thing: I have always, always loved to write. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember and probably won't quit until I die. Writing all that early NCIS-based fiction was a really good way for me to stretch my creative muscles. Initially I sucked at writing both plot AND dialogue (how do you write a story without a plot OR dialogue? Oh, don't worry, it can be done) and I gradually became less afraid of the things that scared me. Also, I eventually branched out into a wider multitude of fandoms to the point where I really will write about anything that strikes my fancy. There really is no rhyme or reason to it! Alas, my weakness these days is that I start things but don't finish them. Right now I have unfinished drafts in my Google drive for works based on the following: Wuthering Heights, The Magnificent Ambersons, a spin-off piece about Charlie Kittredge from the American Girl books, a single episode of 'House,' and the "Little Dorrit" TV miniseries but NOT the book. Will I ever finish them? Eh. I'm sure I'll retire eventually.

Personal life-wise? I've been married for 18 years to a man who snores (ugh) and I'm the mom of two teenagers and a preteen and a GORGEOUS retired racing greyhound (the dog is y favorite child, just ask my kids). I live in the Midwest where people are very nice but oh lord is the topography flat. I've spent the last two years substitute teaching while also studying for my teaching license; I student taught a seventh grade Language Arts classroom and it was WONDERFUL. Currently looking for a job and I actually WANT to work with middle schoolers! I also drive Uber on the side and my passengers consistently rate me "great conversation." I'm a talker, but you probably noticed that already!

Also, I sew my own dresses. My dresses have pockets. That is all.