I always thought that I would write stories and novels. I aspired to writing thrillers that centered women protagonists who are fully capable of saving themselves.

I wrote my first novel in 1992. I gave my protagonist a job very close to mine and two of my children. Then I sent her into the field on an environmental cleanup. It’s not a terrible book, and I think of it fondly.

My second novel was my 2007 MFA thesis. It, too, wasn’t terrible, and I had great hopes for revision. I still do, although life has intervened in many ways over the years.

Here are some of the short stories I’ve written along the way: