Writer, mother, grandmother, jewelry artist, and snark-hunter extraordinaire. I have lived all my life in the upper Midwest. I don't know if this has influenced my stories or characters, but it has definitely influenced the settings I use. My characters are likely to be farmers, adventurers or explorers, living in wide-open spaces and often influenced by the land and weather around them.  I have been writing for much of my life, with a concentration on fantasy and speculative fic