THE MAGIC OF SISTERHOOD: I was raised out West in a big rollicking family, riding horses by the time I could walk. My earliest memories are of creating stories with my twin sister DJ (on right in photo). As “wombmates” we developed our own language, and by age three we invented a curious pastime we called “The Rocking.” Each afternoon, we climbed onto a stiff couch and rocked until we conjured a trance-like state, entering our stories as though slipping through a portal (honest!). All remnants of our drab living room disappeared, and we found ourselves roaming in realms of winged horses and adventure. No one ever told us this wasn’t possible, and we often rocked so hard (even in the family station wagon) that our hair tangled into knots. Yet our mother, who had a whimsical streak of her own, never dreamed of telling us to stop, and our older sister Suzi urged us on by contributing the best plot ideas ever. To this day, when I ask my sisters about details from The Rocking, they can recite scenes from our ongoing sagas that lasted for years.
DJ, Suzi & Diane on the couch that started it all
And the truth is, little has changed…
Today, I continue to embark on these “spirit journeys”, only I enter through the portal of a keyboard rather than swaying on a dusty old couch. And I’ve remained so passionate about the power of stories that I earned a Ph.D. in American Literature and Creative Writing. But you can bet I still consult with Suzi and DJ for their insights into my latest works because they’re veteran storytellers who always make my imagination soar. From the playful pastime of sisters came a passport to new horizons—and it’s my hope that you’ll enjoy my novels and the gateways they open to life, love, and the miracle of second chances.
SISTERS WHO ROCK: Suzi & DJ today—as vibrant & creative as ever
My twin DJ is on the bay horse Cocoa & I’m on the sorrel horse Cheval
COWGIRLS NEVER DIE—they just shine their spurs for the next ride: While growing up, horses were also our beloved path to adventure. The above photos are of DJ and I at age eight in a costume class that we rode to from our home. Our mother sewed the clothes for the five kids in our family, and she created these outfits with the help of her best friend from Mexico (I still remember the joy and laughter they shared). We got the bay horse for free from a neighbor, and the sorrel horse came off the racetrack for $100 with the saddle. She bucked me off right after this show, but I loved her anyway. Even so, my grandfather, who was born in the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), was proud that day, since he was the one who pushed us to get horses. Throughout our teens, we were so horse crazy that we often acquired horses for a dollar each that no one else could ride (yes, our mother was petrified). And in our twenties, DJ and I rode from Mexico to Canada and back on mustangs from BLM land. It took us a year, and we couldn’t have been happier.
When the sunset calls your name, don’t forget to answer…
