The mountains of southwestern New Mexico have been my home for over fifty years. My parents are both teachers who are now retired. I am the eldest of two girls.

At eight months old, I became mysteriously ill. From that point on, I never learned to walk on my own. By the age of five, the doctors finally ran every test they knew, and said that it might have been polio or polio-like. They were unable to really determine what had happened to me. My body is weakened, but not paralyzed.

Mom wanted me to go to public school in a regular classroom. She always said that the only difference between me and the other kids was that I couldn’t walk. Along the way, I had several English teachers encourage me to write. Mrs. Nolan and Mrs. Thomas showed me the beauty of poetry.

I went to college at Western New Mexico University. There, I published a few poems. Most were in school newspapers, and none were ever for pay. It was a hard profession to break into.

Graduated with a degree in Computer Science with minors in English and Biology. I loved computer programming! It fascinated me.

I founded a business in 1989 named Pegasus Software & Computer Shoppe, Inc. The company was a small computer store that provided technical expertise, equipment, and supplies for local businesses and individuals. It took a lot of effort and wit to keep it running for seventeen years. There were several booms and busts in the industry, and had to hire and let go several people because of them.

In 2006, I became very ill. Spent two months in Albuquerque. Came home to recuperate. Was not able to return to work at my business. Illness has a way of making career changes that way. Had to make a choice. I could be a couch potato for the rest of my life, or explore my poetic voice. Decided to explore my creative side and write poetry. This is something I have always wanted to do.

The first book of poetry, Flights of Fancy – Volume 1 was self-published in November, 2007. It is a collection of my best poetry from the past 25 years. From design and layout, to the artwork on the front cover, they are my handiwork. It was fun to put the book together. I was so excited when the proof arrived.

In 2008, writer Chase Von put me in contact with Michele Duncan. She needed inspirational and nature poetry for Flower Escapes. Her beautiful photos truly inspired me. I thoroughly enjoyed creating poems for her garden.

In 2015, I Will Fly was published. It was a collaboration between Maria Kontaxis and myself. This was a labor of love to show the readers that others understand what they are going through. We offer hope that there is a silver lining when the storms of life come.

My latest book is Poetry to Ponder. It is a collection of poetry from the past 10 years. A wide variety of topics are explored from nature, life, and fantasy. The poetry is meant to be appreciated a few poems at a time over a cup of tea. They can be read out of order, too.

Currently, I am writing a blog entitled Dawn’s Awakening. It is a place on the Internet where I can share new work with those who enjoy poetry and short pieces. There, I can hone my writing craft by getting feedback from followers.

Up and coming projects are a 2020 calendar and my next books of poetry.  Stay tuned. . .