I’m the kind of writer who can’t stop thinking about writing
She/Her
Ace/Bi & Demiromantic
Writing
Is writing genetic or learned? Probably a little bit of both. My mother has been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, and, if her journals are any indication, (Sorry, Mom!) a talented writer. She published a few articles in a local newsletter several years ago, but that’s about it, much to the misfortune of the world. My father has a few non-fiction books published from his travels and research about everything ranging from Ecuador to lumberjacks.
My own writing involves mostly fiction. I write about dragons in the military fantasy series Sethi’s Song with my amazing co-author Ginger Salazar. I write young adult/new adult stories centered around mental health, and I’ve taken to writing Sapphic romance novels and short stories. No matter what, there will always be queer main characters.
I love the nuances of written language and how we can create so many different realms, worlds, and meanings just from various combinations of letters.
Not Writing
Joining the Navy was both the best and worst decision of my life. I left home right after high school graduation and became a Spanish linguist. I spent about two weeks qualified in my base position before I asked how to become a report writer. (See? I can’t escape it.) For the following decade, interspersed with a couple of communication schools, that’s what I did. I wrote, edited, and taught. I got married and had three kids and was able to provide for my family. We even adopted a Greyhound/Ridgeback mix named Zoom. I was on track to become an officer, until medical negligence made it extremely difficult to even function.
Of course, that’s when my brain decided to go haywire too, because why do it when I’m otherwise healthy and could handle resurfacing traumas? After two years of treatment for physical and mental health, I medically retired and was sent on my way.
But it’s not all bad! I fostered 19 dogs in my final two years in the Navy, which is how we ended up with Radar (pictured). In 2025, we lost Zoom to old age then added another rescue dog to the family, and Cash has a lot of energy. Plus, I get a lot more time for my kids, writing, reading, and volunteering with no more moving across the country or ocean (or both) every three years. The journey kind of sucked, but the end result worked out.
Defense Language Institute – AA, Spanish
American Military University – BA, English
Emerson College – MFA, Popular Fiction and Publishing (In progress)