My Story

I was born in Tokyo, Japan to missionary parents. As the third child in a family of four children, I was allowed to be creative from a young age. My passions always centered around the arts: books, movies, music. I loved narratives and I was fascinated by people and their life stories. Following in my parents’ footsteps I was drawn to ministry and teaching as a career. I earned my undergraduate degree in English from the University of Oregon and my Master of Divinity from Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City, Tennessee. I embraced two careers: teaching and ministry. Most of my adult life I have been employed in both fields simultaneously. I am an ordained pastor and for 15 years, I was an associate pastor, youth pastor, and music pastor in churches in Idaho and Oregon working alongside my husband in the ministry. In addition to a full time career, I was also a full time mom to my two amazing sons. I continue to serve now in Oregon as a high school language arts teacher. I love high school students. They have taught me to never lose my sense of humor and that has been a true gift.

Everything I write comes from a personal place and is intended to support and encourage Christian women with real life struggles. Themes in my books include divorce, addiction, abuse, church hurt, grief, and trauma. Despite these serious themes, I strive to continue to see the humor, joy, and blessings in my life and continue to cultivate and work on an attitude of gratitude. Our God is faithful through all of our struggles, but the journey can be challenging and we tend to sometimes lose our way. My novels are meant to encourage women to draw strength from God even in the midst of our toughest trials.