Photo Gallery

I’m convinced writers are born, not made. But whether they go on to fulfill their destiny depends on whether they’re lucky enough to have a mentor who tells them the writing’s wonderful and understands the art of the gentle critique. I was extremely lucky. I had my mom.

From age eight to age twenty-eight, I subjected the poor woman to every essay, every story, every angst-ridden poem. She let me know early on that she wrote, too, and no, it wasn’t weird to hide in your bedroom closet and scribble on legal pads. How she coaxed my sister, who shared the room, to let me have the closet, I’ll never know. It was my first office, and I reveled in the solitude.

My mom died way too young, long before I made the NYT list. But by then I had a grown daughter, born a week before my mom’s birthday, who said to me, “You’ll need some help. I’d like to do that.”

In no time at all she became essential to my writing life. I can’t imagine functioning without her as I deal with website issues, promo and travel. Most important of all, she reads my manuscripts before I send them off. As she tells me the writing’s wonderful and practices the art of the gentle critique, I hear echoes of her grandmother. The circle is complete, and to have this gift twice in a lifetime makes me the luckiest of writers.

2008

Pikes Peak Writers Conference

Vicki & George give a workshop

Vicki & George make a new friend, Delores Jannereth

Vicki and author Stephen Coonts

Desert Dreams

Keynote speakers Sherrilyn Kenyon & Carly Phillips

Vicki & Robin Bielman

Audrey, Vicki, Carly, & Jackie

Kim Gregory, Vicki & Robin Bielman

Celebrate Romance 2008

Vicki and author Jade Lee

(left to right)Vicki, Jade, author Cindy Holby, Faye McMichael, Sara Reyes,
Gwen Reyes, author Elizabeth Hoyt, and Mindy Ewing

Vicki and Kathy Boswell

Author Jacquie D'Alessandro, Vicki, author Wendy Etherington

Audrey, PJ Ausdenmore, Vicki, author Sabrina Jeffries

2007

Cheers for Writers Author Panel

Author HelenKay Dimon and Vicki

HelenKay, Vicki, & authors Eden Bradley & Leigh Court