About the Author

I was a student at Oakwood Elementary, in Norfolk Virginia, when excitement brewed over a school-wide event, where the students would get the opportunity to showcase our very own books. 

We attended "writer's workshops" to help us invent settings, develop characters, and outline the plot of our stories. Teachers gave us materials and helped us design our own covers.  The other children wrote short stories, which they typed up during the allotted time in the classroom and added illustrations. But I was heavily invested in the project, taking it home with me and handwriting a series of chapters. 

The excitement of the event died down for my peers and the workshops became a chore. For me, they remained the most thrilling part of my day. There were no limits, and I ran with the winds of opportunity. I filled a composition notebook with a “novel” that I called The Magic Lamp. I spent so much time working on the story itself, that I didn’t get to put mine in print like the other children did. I recall feeling heartbroken about this, as I whipped up a cover and applied it to the notebook that held my first draft.

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My teacher at the time was moved by how seriously I took the project and took the finished chapter book to our principal. One thing led to another, and I was called to a meeting and asked to read a few chapters to a group of staff. When I finished reading, a group of awestricken adults took turns praising me: I was going to be successful someday. My writing was going to get me far in life. The C in Courtney was for creativity.

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 It was a wonderful feeling. My story had made them laugh, smile, and even tear up at times. My hard work was appreciated, and it paid off in the fullest. I knew then that I wanted to keep telling stories that made people feel good. I wouldn’t let them down.

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Looking back, I can tell you that The Magic Lamp was nothing special. It was a raw, unedited story written by a third grader. Looking back, I know that it wasn’t my penmanship that impressed them. Nor was it my ability to bravely read to a group of grown strangers. 

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It was my ambition. I was thrilled to learn and create. It was my passion to tell a story. I didn’t stop until the characters were fulfilled in their journey. And it was the story itself, filled to the brim with vibrant and enthralling characters.  

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Unfortunately, life got the best of me, as it does all of us. Writing would come in waves. But the waves were never big enough, and something different always came in to pull my attention from it. Over the years, my desk accumulated notebooks full of stories with beginnings and no ends. 

At 29 years old, I realized I was extremely unhappy with my career, and I was once again job hunting. I had obtained my bachelor’s degree in human services, and I carried years of management experience. I had options, but they weren’t sustainable ones. I didn’t want another job that I would hate, only to end up on the hunt again.

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Some self reflection brought me to the realization — I always knew what I wanted to do. I simply wasn’t doing it.  

But unless you’re as talented as Stephen King, writing doesn’t pay the bills. (At least not at first) I knew then that all I required of a job was more time. I needed something flexible, that allowed me to work on what I was truly passionate about — writing. 

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Fortunately, I was able to find that, and later that year I finished my first novel, My Endless Distraction. At the time, I was recovering from a very bad episode of obsessive-compulsive disorder (another thing that comes to me in waves). It was only fitting that I dedicated my first book to mental health. Like my experience in third grade, writing my first book was a bumpy learning experience, riddled with mistakes. Still, I think I’ll always hold the story close to my heart.

Once I got a feel for the process, I began working on my next book, The Lady on Lotus Lane. I got to have more fun with this story. I poured some of the creativity and magic from The Magic Lamp into it. I’m so excited to share this next part of my journey. It will be released in October. 

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I’ve also started working on my third novel, Villa by the Bay, a thriller. I hope to finish it late 2023.

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Writing is my hobby and my craft. It is my passion. It is my dream. Although I work hard on my projects, I don’t write to pay the bills. 

I write so you can enjoy the story.