Why Write?

One of the frequent questions has been: What made you want to write a book in the first place? Good question! I truly believe everyone has a story or two rattling around in the back of their minds. However, embarking on the journey of writing hundreds of pages, sending it out to multiple publishers, and anxiously waiting to hear if someone — anyone — thinks it has merit is a different prospect. Sometimes, I still wonder how I did it. And while I’d like to say I always wanted to be a writer, I can’t. I actually started writing because I witnessed the passion of a master storyteller, thus I wanted to give it a try for myself. 

I fell into the publishing/book world while serving as the Executive Director for the Center for the Book, a position I held concurrently with Director of Education at the Library of Virginia. I was lucky enough to work with New York Times best-selling author David Baldacci, who was on the Center’s Board of Directors. After working together for years, I came to accept a position with David’s company, Columbus Rose, Ltd. where I served as his assistant for over a decade. Working for one of the most amazing and prolific writers of our time cemented in me the joy of storytelling. Watching him agonize over the smallest detail — wanting to ensure the book was the best it could be — taught me the level of dedication and care necessary to take on writing A Settler’s Passion.