D J Buchanan

   I grew up as an animal lover and bookworm with an artistic bent. As a child I was always conjuring up stories in my head, and even consigned some of them to paper, but I "outgrew" that. I graduated from FSU with degrees in Psychology and Biology, married, raised a son, and engaged in a banking career. My husband, David, supported and encouraged me in all my interests, which includes rescuing homeless pets, painting with oils, and various creative arts and crafts.

    Then, well into middle age, David and I adopted a severely abused little girl from Florida's state foster care system, and what an adventure it was! I started keeping notes to help preserve the memories of the many sad, funny, and poignant events that punctuated our lives with our new daughter, Maryrose. A couple of years later I discovered I had accumulated a sizable collection of memories, enough to be the basis for a real book, and I wanted to share our experiences. Moreover, Maryrose was still growing up, constantly supplying new input to my trove of tales.

    The urge to write returned to me, and it could not be denied. So, I took some inline courses in creative writing and became a member of TWA. Eventually, in a seven-year labor of love, I wrote the complete story of my relationship with Maryrose, including the individual journeys that brought us together in the first place. I sought professional help to make it as good as it could be, and published it independently, first as an e-book in 2017, and as an updated paperback version in late 2018. 

My husband and I reside quietly in retirement east of Tallahassee.