D. J. says she has always been a storyteller. Her mother once claimed she came out of the womb holding a pencil and a piece of paper wanting to record the moment. Her second-grade teacher told her she was the biggest storyteller she’d ever heard and that she should become a writer.
She began writing at the age of twelve publishing her first poetry in her hometown newspaper. Having tasted the flavor of her words publicized, she continued with her appetite by publishing poetry and short stories in literary journals throughout her college years and young adult years.
Readers find most of her work set in the Midwest. She comes from Iowa family roots, although D. J. was born a post-war child and raised in Oregon. Yet, she still has a wealth of family in the Iowa City area. “I can say hello to most anyone in Oxford, Iowa, and they are probably related or know of my family. Small towns are small towns. Everyone knows everyone, whether alive or dead.”
“The people in the Midwest are known to me. I hear their voices. I know their character. They are true grit.
“The people in the Midwest are known to me. I hear their voices. I know their character. They are true grit.
Marriage and motherhood put a damper in her authorship but only to the public. There never was a time she was without a pencil at hand, a notebook within reach, and a story ready to tell. “If you want to be a writer,” D. J. says, “then quit talking about it and write. It’s the writing that makes you the writer. Having readers is the cherry on top.” Marriage has been a great adventure full of storytelling experience! After business, D. J. retired into academia, where she teaches college writing. The adventure continues with her husband, son, and Welsh Terriers. She enjoys residing in the Los Angeles area and on the Central Coast. 
If you are or aim to be a writer but can't seem to get that pen to paper, D. J. writes a blog, ON WRITING AND PUBLISHING.
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