So here's the official bio - you know, the one that goes at the end of books or on the back cover or in a program:

Malena Crockett continues to evolve, but at her core she is a story sharer: Her stories give voice to women of faith, Mormon women, both contemporary and historical; women whose existence, experiences, and contributions are often lost to time. Malena's characters can be naïve, fragile, stupid, or unimpressive, but they are more often strong, smart, courageous, and full of hope; they could be your neighbors, your colleagues, your kin. Their lives are similar to yours, yet in some ways they are very different.

Malena has survived extended sojourns in both the Mormon corridor and the Bible belt; she now lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where she shares her home with her beloved human, canine, and feline family.

If that didn't tell you everything you wanted to know, read on!

Greetings!

It's a strange thing, writing one's own bio. It feels like it might be similar to writing one's own epitaph, only without the black crepe. If you're reading this, it's because you're mildly curious about the person who wrote the book you just clicked on. Who is this author? Why did she write what she wrote? Do we have anything in common?

I'll start with the "why," and maybe the other answers will reveal themselves as we go along.

When I was a tiny child, I had Cinderella characters hanging on the wall in the bedroom I shared with my sisters. If you grew up in the 50s and 60s, you'll know what I'm talking about: those heavy cardboard cutouts with Disney animated movie characters on them. We had the princess, the glass slipper, the pumpkin/carriage, and a couple of mice, but no prince.

Of course I grew up thinking that the ultimate objective was to find that missing handsome prince and marry him, throw a big party with a white dress and a cake, and live happily ever after. The prince always remained faceless, but he was a very snappy dresser. That fantasy worked well in the super traditional mid-century Mormon community that raised me. I learned early on that my purpose in life was to grow up and marry an honorable, righteous Mormon returned missionary and raise a family in the church. That dream missionary was to be my prince, and he would show up when the time was right. My job was to be ready for him and wait around until he arrived.

Fast forward a few decades. Now I am a recovering fairy tale princess: I believe the most admirable heroines are those who work out their own happily-ever-after and actively pursue what they want and need instead of waiting for someone else to tell them. They find and follow a meaningful path instead of passively expecting a knight in shining armor or a dashing prince to come sweep them away to a life where their primary mandate is to preserve the family line. It’s not that I think marriage and kids are all bad; they just aren't *all*.

It should be no surprise then, that I invite readers to take a look inside the messy, complex and humorous lives of humans who are doing the best they can to live according to their beliefs while balancing real life and conflicting ideas in the mix; my characters live with a combination of fantasy and hope mixed with adventure and reality.

First up: Melody Joy Provence - the heroine from Fool Me Once. She and I are related by marriage in an alternate universe. Her story is not unlike the story of many female Mormon baby boomers. You may be able to relate to it yourself: MJ grew up in an LDS world where women were expected to be and do certain things, but just as she got to the "grown up" part of her life, everything changed, and the man she trusted to keep her heart safe turned out to be someone completely unexpected. If you've ever seen a train wreck in the making, you'll instinctively understand how this story plays out, and how wonderful it is when someone you love manages to walk away from the wreck, broken and with significant injuries, but empowered and ennobled. I can't tell you any more than this, because - well - Spoilers!

Melody Joy's SortaBiography is the inaugural trilogy launching a multi-generational saga, -Seven Generations Ascending-, a project that should keep me busy for a quarter-century or so. As soon as I finish Book Three (*Kiss Me One Last Time*), next up will be *The Pioneer Patriarch's Last Wife.* I'll post updates on my web site, www.MalenaCrockett.com (sign up for my newsletter and I'll ping you when I have news), and on my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/malenacrockett.author.storykeeper/. See you there!