I never gave a thought to what or who I wanted to be when I was 12. And I can't say I had a clue when I was 13 or 14. I knew I wanted to be someone different, someone romantic, a person with creative people. My mother had other thoughts about a career choice. And so, I became a teacher and from my students in elementary and middle school I learned they were the most original, the most different -- the most romantic people in the world.

I wrote Fanny of Stratford Court for them and set it at a time when life seemed a little simpler, though not without intrigue.

From Toledo, Ohio to Cleveland where I have lived and raised a family that includes four original, different, creative grandchildren, I have traveled the world with my husband. It's been an amazing life. But somehow, I always go back and touch Fanny because she's someone I would like to have been most of all.