Claire Ashgrove

I began writing in my early teens and maintained the hobby for twenty years before making the professional shift. I remember late nights spent with my best girlfriend, staying up and reading to her the zany stories I'd dreamt up. God bless her for endless patience, and the toleration required to listen to my, admittedly, terrible creations. If you're out there, Lynnie, thank you. In my junior year English class, when I was supposed to be watching Watership Down, I started my first real romance novel. It remains my favorite work -- probably because I spent a good five to six years getting to know the characters and I grew alongside them. Writing isn't my only career, nor my only passion. When I'm not sitting at the computer and ticking out plotlines, I raise and train Oldenburg, Thoroughbred, and Arabian horses. You'll see many of my favorite friends appearing in my contemporary novels. I've ridden horses since I was young, but purchased my first horse, on my own, when I was sixteen. I worked my fingers off to keep that horse through college and as of 2012 he is still a favored resident in our barns. I'm not me without some reference to horses, plain and simple. Above all things, however, I am a mother of two boys. I never thought I'd be the "boy kind of mom" but they are my greatest blessings and my joy. I've learned how to look at bugs in a whole new light, discovered mud isn't so terribly awful, and that little boys aren't just made of frogs, snails and puppy dog tails -- they have a great deal of sugar and spice thrown in also. I owe a great deal to my family. Their patience, encouragement, and willingness to listen to me drone on and on about my latest idea has allowed me to pursue my dreams. While my mother has always pushed me to follow this path, and I resisted for a long time, she's given countless hours of her time, in a multitude of ways, to help me achieve my dreams.