I find it amusing to write a bio when the book is a memoir, which I feel is a lengthy biographical take on my life. So, I’ll give you some tidbits about myself that aren’t directly in the book, but the essence is there.

As a preteen, I read adventures like The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper and Jack London’s Call of the Wild. My interest was always science–how things worked and why. Because of my meagre surroundings, I solved issues creatively.

In my youth I was drawn to romance novels and stories with a strong female presence. However, these journeys into fantasy sometimes left me in trouble as I binged and became entrenched in their lives. These stories rewarded me with no sleep, piles of dirty dishes around my bed, lack of showers, and a stressful environment as I struggled when I resurfaced, re-entering the real world of responsibilities and neglected chores. At this point, I decided I needed to live my own life and stopped reading, to break the addiction.

Many years later, I was asked to be a guest speaker at a writing group to share my Reflexology expertise in which I excel. The focus was to share healthful reflexology techniques aimed at helping writers improve and maintain circulation while sitting for hours as writers do.

This time with them reignited my draw to literature and inspired me to join this group of writers, not only to create a legacy for my loved ones but also to offer valuable insight to help others. Much like when I saw The Glass Castleon Netflix from the book of the same name written by Jeannette Walls, and realized so much of her story was similar to mine! Watching that movie, I understood the world was finally open to the dark past parts of our lives that we have all held in secret and shame. In the group, many books were mentioned, and they all reignited my desire to read. However, because I felt unsure of my writing style, and I chose not to touch a book until my memoir was finished, so as not to be influenced by others’ styles or ideas.

Then one day, after my memoir was completed, the group was assigned to choose a memoir and review it. I opened Amazon to find one that appealed to me. If it’s true there are no new stories, only different ways of telling them, The Many Lives of Mama Love written by Lara Love Hardin is surely proof of that!

It felt like fate the day I stumbled upon her book. Scrolling on Amazon for the assignment, I stopped in my tracks at her captivating cover, intriguing title, and–oh, how I loved her tagline! The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing. I picked her book based on those elements. It was as if she and I were put in different rooms with jars filled with equal amounts of the same set of words–not unlike a game of Magnetic Poetry or the Cut-Up Technique. We both use the words differently, but they evoke similar emotions, and I, for one, resonated with hers. Although her life path was much different than mine, I couldn’t help but be captivated, as she had me hooked and reeled in with her first chapter’s mention of Gone with the Wind. Her words spoke to me in a way that felt both familiar and profoundly new.

We are all in this together. Our stories are unique, yet there is a thread that tethers us all. My next book is about my career, as this needs a voice as well.

No Shame in a Foot Job: Reflections from my Reflexology Chair, is what I’m working on now. The science of Reflexology and the human body is a topic dear to my heart.

I have written a few articles for my association, taught the Ingham Technique as a Seminar Director for the International Institute of Reflexology, lectured on its benefits, worked at five-star hotels, and ran my own reflexology business. (details on LinkedIn) I am also the author of a phone app–W5wellness… just ask why?

Now, I am touring Mexico on our extended retirement traveling vacation. If you’re interested in my writing, you can sample it in the Wonderlust Chronicles as it will debut July 2025, before my memoir.

I believe in sharing stories–both the light and the dark–because, through them, we come to understand who we are as humans. And perhaps, as anyone who has ever found strength in the pages of a book can attest, we might even find powerful inspiration.