Barbara J. Turner

I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, two blocks from the beach.  And while I spent a lot of time there, I never learned how to swim.  I had five brothers and no sisters, and disappointed my Mom who was always trying to get me into frilly dresses when all I wanted to do was play football and baseball.

I always loved books and reading.  My Mom read me adventure stories, like Captains Courageous, Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Robinson Crusoe.  When I got to first grade and brought home my first book, I was so excited.  And then I opened Fun with Dick and Jane.  Dick and Jane ran and jumped and played, but they didn't run anywhere or jump for any reason, and no one ever said what they played.  Well, they did play with a ball.  A red, red ball.  I threw the book in the garbage. 

Big mistake.  Teachers and parents don't approve of throwing books in the trash.  Anyway, that's when I started inventing my own stories, and I've been writing ever since.

What I like most about writing is creating my own little world.  I am the Master, and I can make anything happen that I want.  My favorite things to write are Fantasy and Historical Fiction.  I also like to delve into why people do the things they do.

Today, I live in New Hampshire, nowhere near a beach.  I still don't know how to swim, and I can still throw a mean fastball and a long bomb.  When I'm not writing or reading, I like to play video games, listen to music, and hang out in museums.  I love history and maps - the older the better.  Someday, I'm going to take fencing lessons and learn to play the saxophone.  But there's nothing I like better than sitting down in front of my computer, slipping into another world, and playing God. 

"Curiouser and curiouser," said Alice.

Lewis Carroll