Meet your guide · the stronghold
Musician, writer, artist & host
"I believe in all its sticky, gooey, bitter, and sweet moments, life is a beautiful thing. Showing vulnerability takes risks, but it is a risk I am willing to take for you."
In her words
Who am I? Isn't that the question?
"Perfection is a lie that tells me, 'I can't be content until…'"Prudence
Who am I? Is this not the question we strive to answer at some point, and maybe at many points in our lives?
I am a woman, and I fully know it. I love who and what God has created me to be. I actively unwrap and discover new layers of who I am and who I will grow into. Those changing pieces are often scary and uncomfortable, but I have enough experience with life to know that growth often hurts in the short term but must occur in order to advance. We can learn from each other. I can learn from you, and you can learn from me.
In my quest to set up for the ceremonies and parties of life, I have found that perfection is a lie that tells me, "I can't be content until…" By writing it through, I can show it for what it is, and it is less able to run me over.
One thing about me you might want to know is creativity: I cannot stop it. It bubbles out everywhere. I make music on the piano. I write novels and blogs, vlogs and TV programs. I make body adornments, needlework, and anything really. I love clothing and dressing, thrifting, and all the clever, witty, and dry humor. Examining, observing, and documenting life is my favorite thing to do.
I will never claim to know it all, but I will claim that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, and I will not budge on that one. Whatever God says goes. He made me, and I will try my best to glorify Him with everything I have.
I was driven at a young age to sew, glue, write, bake, dress well, decorate my surroundings, love animals, play the piano and draw: really, to all the beautiful things of life. I wanted to make it, to invent it, to touch it, to wear it. I did when I was young and I still do.
Every one of us is made to create in some way and some form. Every one of us. Not all of us are gifted to create in the same ways, and this is where we get hung up.
I wasn't familiar with the term "prophetic minstrel" until a few short years ago. It is what I have been since I was born, and I've been growing in it since beginning music at age 10. King David was one of these: his music calmed the demonic swirling about King Saul.
My desire is for the sound to bring people into a clean, clear-headed and calm heart space where revelation and fresh ideas can swirl and mix, producing a peace and joy that is contagious.
I really feel a sense of relief when writing, almost as if my mind gets uncomfortably full and must be emptied to carry on in a happier state. Paper has been soaking up my thoughts in ink since I was 15. I write in order to understand myself better.
Yet it wasn't until I was closing in on 40 years of life that I picked up the pen and began to write the stories I believe God has partnered with me on. These aren't your ordinary warm and fuzzy reads. They are a bit nail-biting and edgy. They can teach everyone some things about the spirit world, and at the same time present hope to those who need to taste God's mercy.
2023The Sound of WingsSomeone is repeatedly thieving from the community of Kingsman, Oregon. As Sergeant Bailey works the cases, he begins to wonder if it's something, and not someone, behind it all. It takes courage to look into the face of malevolence. Thank God for the sound of wings.Paperback or Kindle →
2018Deape WoodsNora is the newest resident of Kingsman, Oregon, and she doesn't believe in supernatural mumbo-jumbo. But the evil lurking in Deape Woods feeds off fear, and it's just waiting to make its next move.Paperback or Kindle →
