I am the great-granddaughter of German-Russian immigrants and an amateur genealogist focusing on Russians of German heritage.  I am a member of the American Historical Society of the Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society, as well as the Genealogical Society of Stanislaus County.  I attend the Writer's Workshop at the Modesto Institute of Continued Learning (MICL) where I enjoy combining my love of family with my love of horses in the stories I write. I am a mother and grandmother.  A lifelong Californian, I live in the Central Valley with my husband, Jim, and my horses and dogs.