Welcome to Roundtable Reviews.  SAFE PASTURE is your debut.  Can you tell readers more about yourself?

First of all, I'm the wife of a really great guy, and the mother of two wonderful teenaged boys, one of whom is very busy with extracurricular activities, so I spend many evenings at high school functions.  I work full-time as a secretary in a downtown Dallas law firm, am choir accompanist at church, and crochet for Newborns in Need.  I rarely get bored.

How long have you been writing?

I wrote my first poem at age 9, but quickly realized that poetry is not my forte.  The poem expressed my desire to live on a farm.  Interestingly, years later I set my first novel on a ranch.  Although I've had a couple of magazine articles published, I didn't begin writing in earnest until my late thirties.

Do you write by a set schedule or when the words are flowing?

(LAUGH) With all my current responsibilities, these days it's hard to find the time and energy it takes to write creatively.  I wrote Safe Pasture in fits and starts, sometimes putting it down for an entire year.  Then I'd pick it up again, read it, and be inspired to finish.  After all, I had to find out how Susanna's story would play out!  Some chapters were incredibly difficult to write, while the last chapter wrote itself in a couple of hours.  I've begun work on a second novel, and hope to find the time to finish it before the cutting-edge litigation it references has become old news.

SAFE PASTURE is a contemporary inspirational romance, but it takes a few "risks" that I feel made the character more believable.  Do you feel that inspirational fiction is becoming more realistic with these changes being more widely accepted now?

Definitely.  The past 20 years or so have seen a tremendous surge in Christian fiction.  I believe that is a backlash response to the increase in trashy fiction.  People are tired of raw sex, gratuitous violence and foul language, and long for a story that won't assault their sensibilities.  At the same time, because the world has become a more dangerous place and readers are confronted daily by tough issues, we're seeing more and more of these issues being dealt with in Christian fiction, thank goodness.  People need to know that choosing to follow God will not result in rosy comfort, that we must still deal with human weakness and tough choices. 

 What inspired you to write this particular story?

 In the early 90s, our younger son Sean was diagnosed with autism.  Although outwardly my husband and I dealt with things pretty well, our emotions were in turmoil.  I coped by reading more.  Often after finishing a book I would think, "I could write better than that."  Sometimes I longed for an escape from our situation, and thought how wonderful it would be to live far away from the city's rat race--someplace like Wyoming, for instance.  Slowly a story took shape in my mind, and before I knew it, I had developed a protagonist and woven her mountain ranch adventures into a plot.  Only after I finished the book did I realize that little Laura overcoming her handicap was my unconscious attempt to resolve my feelings about Sean.  I could not cure Sean of his austism, but at least I could help someone else's child vicariously.  While this was going on, my husband and I co-founded Families for Early Autism Treatment-North Texas, so I was able to help Sean and other kids in a concrete way as well (but that venture wasn't nearly as much fun as writing!).

Are there any authors who shaped your desire to be an author?

In my opinion, the best writer of the 20th Century is Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird.  One of my goals is to create a novel that will grip the reader and influence lives the way hers did.  Among inspirational writers, Francine Rivers is my favorite, with Angela Hunt running a close second.  Both are not only excellent at their craft, but their level of commitment to God is unquestionable. 

Promotion can be a challenge for first-timers.  Have you found it hard to promote SAFE PASTURE?

Since the book is still in the pre-publication stage, the only thing I've done in the way of promotion--besides bending the ears of my longsuffering friends--is to send the manuscript to reviewers.  I've received several good reviews from other authors, which I plan to use in presenting the book to booksellers.  (Peggy Stoks of Tyndale House said about it, "Safe Pasture is deftly written, one of those books that will keep you reading far past a sensible bedtime."  Picture me grinning ear to ear.)  Oh, I have one local magazine interview tentatively scheduled.  And I have a few other ideas as well.  We'll see how things unfold.  

Thanks so much for spending time with us.  If there is anything you would like to mention, please do not hesitate!

It's been my pleasure.  I would like to encourage any lover of inspirational fiction that may be reading this review to give Safe Pasture a try.