I've been writing ever since I can remember. Even before I actually learned to write with pen and paper I spent the day weaving stories with my dolls and other toys. Barbie never simply tried on dresses and brushed her hair, there was usually some foul plot afoot. The same went for every doll I owned. They went to school, dealt with issues, won the Olympics, whatever I could think of.
As I got older I explored the wonders of the composition notebook. I still have them all (mostly from middle school), nearly filled with tales of witches, murders, magical powers and family woes. Unfortunately, I never finished any of them. Most of the time I lost the story just before the end, or I simply got another idea that I just had to write instead.
High school brought anime and fanfiction. I finally started finishing stories, but unfortunately (of course) I didn't own any of the characters. Nevertheless, I worked on my writing skills and actually got involved with the online fanfiction collections. With my work being read by other fans I got feedback for the first time and that fueled my writing even more. (No, I will not tell you where you can find any of those stories. I used a pen name for a reason. :-P )
Finally, college brought along the biggest epiphany of my life: People write books! Who'd have thought? It was like seeing your teacher outside of school for the first time and realizing that they actually had lives of their own. It was with this newfound knowledge that I set out to write my first book. I took a character I had created in Creative Writing class in high school and started to build a world around her. This turned into my epic high fantasy series beginning with the first book, which is currently titled Astirian Winds. This book was my escape during the trying and sometimes torturous years I spent in college. I soon wrote a sequel with thoughts for a third, fourth and even fifth book swimming about in my head.
After college, I took a year off to get my head on straight concerning what I wanted to do with my life and to concentrate on my writing. I attended the Viable Paradise Writer's Workshop on Martha's Vineyard, where I met so many great people and got invaluable advice and lessons. It was, hands-down, one of the best decisions I had ever made in my life, and I could easily spend a whole page going on and on about it. But I won't.
After that, while my friend was looking at grad school for herself, I discovered that it was possible to get my Masters in Creative Writing. That led me to Seton Hill University, where I entered the Writing Popular Fiction program. Easily the best thing I've ever done. I rewrote Astirian Winds, turned out a short story, and started editing my second book during those two years and everything is the better for it. And that doesn't even begin to go into the incredible friends and mentors I made there.
Now, I have two complete books in my series written, along with almost half of a third, two short stories, and a second series begun with the first book already finished and the second leaking out of my fingers a little more each day. Hopefully the day will come when I can share them all with you. ^_^