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My Family
My family is a wonderful support to me in my work, especially my husband who among numerous other
things also designed this website. TJ is a native of Europe, Portugal to be exact, and before we
married, I told him that I couldn't write properly in English if I lived in Portugal, so he agreed
to immigrate to the United States. Being very attached to his country, this was a great sacrifice for
him, one for which I'm very grateful. We had our first baby the month before our first anniversary.
I went back to writing after TJ and I had three children. TJ, who is a computer systems analyst went out
and bought me a computer, which I promptly named Jewels since I thought we'd never be able to afford jewelry
now that he'd spent our savings. He kindly told me there were no more excuses for not pursuing my dream.
I began that day and never looked back, except to wonder what took me so long to finally come home.
Now, years and years later, TJ and I are the parents of six beautiful children, and yes, like most parents,
we're sure ours are exceptionally bright and beautiful! All our children are dark-haired and dark-eyed like
TJ, and some of them have a bit of an olive cast to their skin, though TJ is quite pale. They are a continual
source of love and surprise, not to mention writing material. As I was raised in a family of eight children,
the constant chaos is familiar, and I admire TJ, the first of only two children, for being able to survive the
drama. He's is the rock of our family, and I am often amazed at how much he helps me work toward my goals.
My children are also very supportive of my work, from the older girls reading my manuscripts to the little
ones allowing me time at the computer. I try to make sure my children understand that they come first before
any of my projects. I'm aware of their grades and what they are doing in school. I know their friends by name,
and I try hard to welcome them to our home. My family is the most important thing to me, and I know it's worth
it to make that extra effort. The children know they can interrupt me whenever they need to, and I mostly like
it that way. Occasionally when it's school vacation and I'm writing, I have to tell them that I need time alone
for a while, and they're pretty good about helping each other out until I can turn off the computer. I try to
eliminate any deadlines during the summer because that makes life easier for all of us!
I believe writing helps me be a better mother because I'm happier pursuing my dreams. I hope to inspire my children
to become individuals who will contribute to society. Mostly, my hope for them is that they stay close to the gospel
of Jesus Christ because that's where true happiness lies.
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