Elizabeth –
As a child, I was obsessed with either sea life or dinosaurs, so marine biology and archeology fascinated me. I was the nerd girl with the giant Dinosaur Encyclopedia….who also read dictionaries for fun. I went thru a time where I wanted to be an astronaut, but my 10-inch thick maroon-colored glasses dashed my hopes and dreams for that. But at 13, my AP English teacher introduced me to the art of writing. Primarily, I wrote poetry, prose, and lyrics, and believed with my whole heart that one day, I’d be a writer. When we were younger, Marie and I might have engaged in a bit of what’s now known as fan fiction with a little show called SeaQuest DSV. Of course, we didn’t know it was fan fiction then. We also *attempted* to write a book when we were in our late teens, but I honestly don’t think we got further than the name….Pacifica. What this awesome book was supposed to be about, I have NO clue….probably for the best. As I aged into my twenties, practicality took over and after 5 years in college, I settled for a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in English. My dreams of writing of any kind were always at the forefront of my mind, but I had no clue how to make that dream into a reality, especially when I was convinced I could only write poetry. A year after college graduation, I was back in school….this time for nursing. Becoming a nurse was one of the best decisions I ever made, and though I’d all but given up on my writing, I see clearly now that it’s only enhanced my life experience. Fast forward, eight – almost nine – years later, 2 books + 2 total rewrites + half a million words….and here we are!

Marie –
What did I want to be as a kid?

As a child, I wanted to be a pediatrician; I loved babies and toddlers, so I thought that being a ‘baby doctor’ as I called it would be the thing for me to be. As I got older, I realized that being a pediatrician was probably not the best choice for me because those cute, cuddly babies don’t normally like going to see the doctor.

As a teenager, I wanted to be a Marine Biologist or a Forensic Scientist. My dream in high school was to major in one of those at LSU and minor in Journalism. Honestly, I still wouldn’t mind fulfilling that dream some day, but I will see what life decides to hand me I guess.

As an adult, I honestly wanted to be a mom. Being a mom is truly the hardest ‘job’ I’ve ever had, but by far the most rewarding and fulfilling. Personally, I don’t even like to call parenting a job, even though it is a lot of hard work with no true breaks; I prefer to call it a joy because my kids truly make my heart smile and I can’t imagine life any other way for me.