About Deanna

I was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, however, did not grow up in the corn husker state. My father was in the Air Force and that was how he ended up from Texas to Nebraska to meet my mom. Military families move around, as most of you know, so I have lived in many places. The most exciting place was Japan; unfortunately, I was too young to enjoy or remember the experience. Living in Texas for a huge portion of my life means I consider myself a good ole Texas gal. 

Moving from place to place, I was always the new kid so I couldn't be shy, and people who know me will tell you that being shy is not a problem for me in the slightest. I love meeting people and making new friends wherever I go. 

My aunt introduced me to the classics, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, Black Beauty, Heidi , Charlotte's Webb and Alice in Wonderland, to name a few. Reading took me to a new place and with my vivid imagination drawing me into the book, I was part of the story.  From the classics, I moved to mysteries, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, graduating to the love stories of Harlequin and Silhouette. 

Before the Internet and personal computers, I either typed or wrote longhand. However, my handwriting stinks (perhaps I should have been a physician) and I had problems reading it myself. I know you are laughing and so am I. So, yes, I used an old fashion typewriter.

I finally had enough of a manuscript to work with and a query. I was ready to send it by snail mail to Harlequin. Despite all the slush piles, I hoped at least my work would be reviewed before they trashed it, sending me the obligatory “thank you but no thank you” reply. Snail mail takes forever and replies even longer, so I went about my life, and I kept writing when I found the time. 

I received an unexpected phone call from New York months later. A representative from Harlequin was calling. My heart was racing, it excited me that maybe my dream of being a published author was about to come true. No. My dream was still a dream. I was disappointed and exhilarated all at the same time, but I was not going to give up. 

Years later a chain of events happened giving me ample time to write and I pounded the keyboard, publishing my first children's book. Afterward, I was given an opportunity to have my first crime novel published and since then I have finished the second and third Jack West Novels, and have been working on the fourth. Lest I forget, I also have a soon-to-be-published fantasy/romance, and the second book is in the works. 

My life over the years has brought me full circle, back to a dream that began years ago. I am now a published author, and excited that I am getting that chance to entertain readers!