Virginia has always loved to read. Her first memory of books were the Childcraft books, which she still has on her bookshelf beside some very well worn and treasured Golden books. She has precious memories nestling with her twin on either side of their dad, in his favorite fireside chair, as he read to them. On winter nights, the twins would lie on the rug in front of the fireplace, with only the glow of the fire, and make up stories as their parents listened and dutifully, of course, applauded their attempts. When their dad was out of town on business, the bedtime routine was their mother lying across the bed, with a twin on each side of her, as she read to them from an

orange leather volume of Childcraft. Today, memories flood her mind as Virginia flips through the never forgotten pictures accompanying her favorite stories and poems in the well worn Childcraft volumes. Ah! There it is! Her most favorite poem of all: The Sugarplum Tree, by Eugene Field, “with the chocolate cat in the garden of Shut Eye town”. The twins knew the poem, and numerous others, by heart and when their mother would skip a word, they corrected her. No shortcuts!

With her insatiable hunger for the printed word since she first learned to read, Virginia’s favorite trips were to her town’s first little library, perched above the valley. She remembers sitting on the little chairs in the children’s section, looking through all of the books, and carefully selecting books to take home. She also remembers her sadness when there were no more books at her reading level. She had read them all.

Growing up, her favorite series of books were The Bobbsey Twins, Cherry Ames, Nancy Drew, and best of all, Little House on the Prairie! Oh! how she wanted to live with the Ingalls in their sod house! Virginia’s bookworm persona continues to be well nourished with her favorite genre being sweet/contemporary romance.

Virginia’s writing career began in Brownies when she made her first book into which she recorded favorite quotes from other people. Beginning in her elementary years, writing obligatory thank you notes, Virginia’s love of letter writing blossomed into a passion for letter writing which ranged from her early years writing movie stars for photographs to Presidents and First Ladies to a pen pals in Germany and Scotland. Over the years letter recipients frequently told Virginia she should write a book. Her first story was an English writing assignment with her plot being a mother dying, much to her mother’s dismay. In high school, Virginia wrote for the school newspaper and literary magazine, becoming assistant editor of the paper, and editor of the literary magazine. Being multi published in both gave her a sense of the writer’s life…hard work but fulfilling.

In recent years, Virginia has not only had magazine articles published, along with her photographs, but also was a columnist for the e-magazine Sisters in the Lord, now in temporary hiatus. In addition to solicited and unsolicited articles, writing numerous reports for her job keeps Virginia’s pencil ever sharpened.

Frequently frustrated that her favorite authors are unable to keep up with her reading appetite, what’s a reader to do during the in between time? Late one summer afternoon, Virginia gathered pen, paper, and an iced tea. Sitting at her patio table, surrounded by pots of flowers, she plotted out her own romance novels in between swatting at bees. Virginia had come home to her own world of wonder and romance.

Many hours and revisions later, she has completed Forever One, a 125,000 word contemporary romance. Trails End, also a contemporary romance, is in process.

Virginia’s novels capture the beauty and wonder of small town romance with real life characters and stories to wrap your heart around. The settings are vividly portrayed with characters as vibrant and intriguing as an ever changing kaleidoscope.

Virginia confesses having a novel published would “take the cake” (chocolate, of course….or maybe a wedding cake since she is a romance writer).