Trish Jensen

Trish Jensen never meant to become an author. Never aspired to it, in fact it wasn't even in the top ten of jobs on her, "If you could do/be anything, what would it be?" list.

But after seven years in corporate America, she recognized climbing that particular ladder wasn't what she wanted, either. So while she figured out what truly felt right, she decided to go back to school for her MBA. After one semester of THAT, she recognized it would still be the same ladder, just made of better wood, a better view from her office, and yet still a desk job.

So she made a leap to another, really rickety ladder, taking English and creative writing classes just to clear her head and make her brain work in a completely new way. When she tackled the final for her creative writing class, the first chapter of a novel, a crazed writer was born.

She loves this ladder, although she realized rather quickly that it never really becomes less rickety, and along the way there are many rungs that crack or break, making climbing a wonderfully scary, uncertain but never boring proposition.

Yet sitting here in her office -- admittedly with a beautiful view of mountains and wildlife rather than high-rises -- a horrible thought occurs to her. It's a desk job.