Write It and Carve to it a Tune

"Write it and carve to it a tune/ To sing beneath a silver studded moon." -"The Wind Blows High" by Robert Hunter/The Grateful Dead

The idea for the Willow Ryan series came to me like a flood. In five minutes time, I knew every character, had dreamed up the plot for Secrets, and felt like I had lived in Santa Elena all my life. I also knew that music would play a big part in Willow's story, just like it does in mine. I have been writing off and on since I was in second grade and was encouraged to reach for the stars by Patty Dye, the best teacher in the entire world, but I had never experienced such a wave of inspiration as I did that night.

The funny thing is, that a random writing contest ad in the mail addressed to my mom gave me the push to start writing again. I didn't win the contest, but I found my passion. It was a much better reward than whatever that contest had been offering.