All About Alley

Welcome to my corner of the world. I call it Alley’s Corner. No, I did not stick myself in time out!

I’m a young, happily married mama of many, who lives in tornado alley. Yes, I’m one of those people who eloped with my highschool sweetheart and has loved every second since. Unlike most writers, I am a dyslexic who speaks fluent hillbilly. In other words, I blame most of my oops on autocorrect and Grammarly. (They’ve got it out for me!)

On this site, I will take you through my journey, from start to finish to repeat. I’ll be sharing my ups and downs, and I’m sure some upside down. Thomas Edison once said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Well, I broke out the overalls and look ridiculous, but I’m ready to work.

While I have my country clothes on, let me tell you about my podcast, “Writing Rural With Alley.” Pun intended. I teach writers of all kinds about country living, homesteading, living off the grid, and survival skills; covering skills and techniques from the stone age to post-apocalyptic that are relevant to fiction writers and, of course, all the ways things could possibly go wrong.

I’ve done a little of it all, from urban gardening and small animals, to homesteading as I was growing up. Fun fact, you are not allowed to name farm animals so you don’t get attached; I named everything Buttercup as a kid. Don’t tell me I can’t! As an adult I have lived both with and without electricity. I’ve done homesteading, farming, and more; even spending over a decade living around Amish and Mennonite communities. Which means, I am going to do great when the zombie apocalypse happens!

As for my personal writing, I am currently working on a romantic historical fantasy series. Yes, that was a mouthful. These stories include romance (of course), suspense, and action. Set in a fantasyland, we will follow the McAlester brothers, as they encounter pirates, assassins, rival assassins, arsonists, kingsmen, lords, ladies, knights, vikings, and many more throughout this series.

While I love that romance books end with happily ever after, there is another common theme to my work. I write about abuse victims and human trafficking. I feel called to share victim’s stories: to help others better understand what victims go through, to draw awareness to this ever-growing problem of human trafficking in today’s world, and to let those who are going through this or have gone through this, know, “You are not alone. There is hope! There is life, love, and joy after such terrible events.”

I am overjoyed to give my characters a happily ever after. I’m even more excited to kick some bad guy butt! However, I can only write a character out of these horrible situations. Please, if you or someone you know is being hurt, I encourage you to reach out for help. Call your local police office, call 911, tell your doctor, just please reach out for help.

I can’t wait to share my journey with you. I always love to hear from all of you. You can leave me a comment, or join me on my other platforms that are coming soon. If you’d like to receive regular updates, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter!