It's hard to be different in the eyes of society. For Samantha Velmar, it was always difficult to be a full-figured woman. But Sam prided herself on her strength and independence... so with her dog as her faithful companion, she was content with her life, if a little bored. She had almost convinced herself that it was okay to be single -- until she met Jon.
I was born in and have lived in suburban Maryland all my life, moving only three times and even then, less than half an hour away each time. Growing up, I was the youngest and only girl in a family of four siblings, suffering mightily and for many long years under the hands of my three older brothers. To escape, I locked myself away in my bedroom with books, books, and more books! I am and have been a voracious reader of romance novels for as long as I can remember...even before I was writing my own stories as a pre-teen.
At 11 years old, I started my writing hobby with poetry, then began writing "short" romantic stories at about 12. Although I always wanted to be a writer, I found myself instead working with computers. I was in the computer industry for more years than I want to remember, first as an amateur and then as an expert (of sorts).
My husband and I met online (before online dating was even a glimmer in some internet boomer's eye), and we knew each other for eight years before we got engaged and married. Even now, after more than eighteen years together, we are best friends, and he is one of my biggest supporters. We live close to both our families and spend as much time with them as possible. We have spent recent years in our single family home, purchased partially for the large yard that our dog thinks is her own personal park.
