M. I. Speer, I was born and raised in Chicago and I now live in southern California. I am a divorced mom of two wonderful adult children. A married military son currently serving in the Middle East with nearly four children, (#4 on the way), and a gorgeous 25-year-old daughter who is a dental hygienist. I also care for my elderly mother now that I lost my beloved father at age 103 in 2015, that's him on the left with the leading man good looks. Miss him every day!

 

In the day I work in the insurance field, in the evening, I turn to my favorite hobby, writing. I love romantic action-adventures, fantasy, time travel and paranormal young adult stories mostly set in historic times. Growing up, my father, introduced me to Errol Flynn one of my biggest influence and inspiration, as I watched him play high seas, and medieval hero in all those old classic movies. More recent influences are movies like Braveheart, Tristan and Isolde, King Arthur, Gladiator, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and even Assassin's Creed Unity (video game series) to name a few.

 

Music is my main muse so I am constantly listening to emotionally charged orchestral soundtrack music while I write so I can see the scenes in my head. I find most of my music on YouTube. It must be music that moves me and keeps my fingers clicking on the keyboard as my mind fills up with plots and scenes. Writing to me is not only entertaining but therapeutic, even spiritual. Perhaps other artists out there understand this. I confess I do not enjoy editing or the techy computer stuff much. I defer it to other people whenever possible.

 

A big regret is not having formal training in writing so I have, painfully, been learning as I go. My first book, The Sea Maiden, has been through many revisions, it was a humbling but educational experience. Self-publishing is not for not for the fainthearted, that's for sure. As other authors put it, you must not give up your dream, keep going and keep typing. The more I read from other authors the more encouraged and courageous I become eventually I'll get it WRITE, RIGHT? Haha...hope you enjoy!