About me

I was born and raised in Arizona, so I love the sunshine, warm weather, and beautiful sunsets. From my parents, I developed a love for singing and musical theater. In my youth, I studied classical piano and learned to play the organ. I was born with an innate love for teaching young children, so I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, graduating cum laude from Brigham Young University in 1977. My husband is a dentist and I have been his office manager for most of his career, while I was raising our three sons and two daughters. I substitute taught for many years in my children’s classrooms. I love to travel, studied in Paris, France, for six months, lived in Stuttgart, Germany, for three years, and taught English for a year at the University of Electronic Science & Technology in Chengdu, China. I also assisted my husband for three months in Tonga doing humanitarian dental care. I frequently travel to visit my twenty grandchildren and love to discover new lands and cultures. Other I enjoy hobbies include sewing, cooking, hiking, snorkeling, aerobic dancing, boogie boarding and reading. My favorite book genre is historical fiction. I live in Mesa, Arizona, with my husband, Kirk.

Reviews

This was a fascinating read. Especially with how much the LDS culture focuses on the handcarts. It was very interesting to read about the hardships of the converts’ travel using the wagons, as well as the trip across the Atlantic. It was also great to go through Madelaine’s whole life. You really get a sense of who she is and mourn with her through her hardships and trials. It’s a sign of a great character to feel their pains and sorrows as well as their joys throughout a story. I feel like it also ends well…. It was real fitting. The title also is beautiful for the piece. For having such a wonderful ancestor, I’m happy to see such a wonderful tribute to such a strong person. I really enjoyed working on this piece for you. Thank you for being brave enough to share.

Stephanie Procopio, Copy Editor, WiDo Publishing

The writing is so engaging. It had me laughing and crying all the way through. I appreciate a book with facts which helps me feel I’m learning about the time and place in history. And I’m so glad for the happy ending, too.

Linda Goodman, Tucson, AZ

I just finished reading your wonderful book and wanted to let you know how much I loved reading it. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into writing this amazing saga. This book was hard to put down. Your descriptions of their pain and suffering really got to me and I feel like I now understand what they went through. I enjoyed reading the Indian stories, and their own struggles with testimonies. I can't imagine their sorrow burying so many children.  Life without doctors and using plants and herbs for medicine is a far cry from where we are today. Your story certainly showed the great strength of the women! I liked your Endnotes section, too. I'll make sure all my relatives read your book.

Carol Steinitz, San Diego, CA

I really loved the book. Being a history teacher I enjoyed seeing aspects of our country's development through another viewpoint.  But what I found most pleasing about it was that your characters came across as real people.  Yes, I know they were real people but there is a vast difference between historical tomes about the exploits of real people and your presentation of them.  It was like viewing the events through their eyes.  You did a masterful job of portraying what they saw, experienced and felt.

I also  enjoyed reading your end notes which gave me a better understanding of why you were drawn to writing this. I liked the inclusion of some other historical figures like Butch Cassidy (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is my favorite movie).  Even liked the segment where Calamity Jane made an appearance as a possible former worker (even though you fudged that one, but that was also neat to find out in the End notes). 

You did an excellent job of telling Maria's story in a very engaging way, her devotion to the Latter-day Saints and how her faith gave her "The Strength of the Hills".  Well done. 

James D. Heffernan, Bonita Springs, FL

Your book does a great job of describing all of the trials and tragedies these early pioneers endured to create a better life for themselves and their descendants. I have always been amazed by this and I appreciate how well you portrayed this toughness and resilience in "The Strength of the Hills".

Clark Joseph “Joe” Guild III, NV

I met you at the new gravestone dedication in Hyrum for Jeanne Marie Gaudin Moyes. I bought your book from you then. I thoroughly enjoyed the read…. [T]his book helped me appreciate what the journey from Italy to Utah and then Ogden might have been like for [my ancestors]. I found the Endnotes very interesting and enjoyed reading them after I read each chapter. I appreciated the thorough research you did to write this book. Loved the pictures on your website. A visit to the Piedmont ghost town is now on my list of things to do! So glad to have met you and to become acquainted with your book.
Joyce Schmitt, UT

Your book is one of the best historical novels on Waldensian and LDS Church history.

Kathleen Cardon, Salt Lake City, UT

My Motivation

As a teenager, I read the autobiography of Marie Madelaine Cardon Guild, a fascinating story of challenge and triumph by a courageous pioneer. She became my hero. Through the years, I read many historical fiction books and particularly enjoyed “These is My Words”, by Nancy Turner. I invited Nancy to my home to speak to our book club when I lived in Tucson. She shared her writing experience, starting with a small journal entry by her grandmother, a short story and a community college class, and ending with a world-famous novel and an exemplary career. I was also asked to proofread and critique a historical fiction manuscript written by my friend, Debra Billman Weitzell. These women inspired me. I began to study the history surrounding Marie Madelaine Cardon Guild’s adventures and determined to use that knowledge to share her story in an entertaining and enjoyable style. The result is “The Strength of the Hills”.

Other links

Photo Gallery