About

Welcome Persistent Dreamers!

I’m so glad you stopped by. I hope you’ll come back often to pause and re-charge your creative batteries. Pull up a chair, soak up encouragement or a snippet of inspiration—or even, get kicked in the pants–to propel you one step closer to your dreams and goals.

Like you, I’m a Busy Woman with Big Dreams. Some of my dreams are shiny and new and exciting. Others I’ve been chasing for a long, long time. There are days I wonder if I’ll ever reach them. But I know the God of the universe has big plans for little ‘ole me and He didn’t put these dreams in my heart to frustrate me. But along the way, He is teaching me more patience than I ever thought I needed!

I am a writer, encourager, boat captain, determined dream chaser, recovering perfectionist, busy wife, mother and daughter, adventurer, Christ-follower, and hopefully, a friend to you.

My goal and passion is to walk beside you, to encourage you, and to share the tips and tools that help me. You are not alone on this journey. Together, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish!

My Dreams

From the time I penned “Susie’s Babies” in third grade—an epic tale about my hamster –I’ve been hooked on stories. I cried over Lassie, wanted to hang out with the Little Women and determined that I would BE Harriet the Spy. Sadly, my family got a little touchy about the whole spying thing.

My dream to write spent years buried under family responsibilities and a complete lack of faith in my ability to do such a thing. But finally, I put pen to paper. I wrote a novel, which was soundly rejected. So I wrote another one. And another one. The fourth was finally published and I’d be delighted to introduce you to Samantha, the tough-but-tender heroine of TRAPPED! I’d love to hear what you think of her.

Please click on link to order a copy of TRAPPED!

Read an excerpt and reviews of TRAPPED! here.

I have two other novels I’m marketing right now and a new one I’m getting ready to dive into. See my News page for updates on my latest projects and adventures.

Along the way, I’ve also written a parenting book called, Parenting in the Home Stretch: 12 Ways to Prepare your Kids for Life on Their Own. I ghostwrote a book called, I Read You Loud and Clear…Say Again? for the amazing Gaye Martin, too. I’ve ghostwritten other books, written dozens of parenting articles and devotions, and was the editor of a parenting magazine.

I’m a member of Romance Writers of America, past president of Volusia County Romance Writers, and a member of Central Florida Romance Writers and Faith, Hope & Love, RWA’s inspirational romance chapter.

The movie: Catch of a Lifetime

My very talented son Ben Klopfenstein, works in the film industry. When he decided to direct and produce his own movie, he asked if I had any stories that would work for what he had in mind. After some discussion—and a huge learning curve for me–I turned one of my manuscripts into a screenplay and the adventure began.  Not only did I get to be part of the crew, but I met some of the most amazingly talented people, too! We are in the final stages, so stay tuned…

Check out the latest movie news here.

For a summary of the story, click here.

For behind-the-scenes photos, click here.

For more about the cast and crew, click here.

My Other Life

I’m also a USCG-licensed boat captain. As “Captain Connie,” I spent six years piloting glass bottom boats for Silver Springs – Nature’s Theme Park.  There is nothing quite like a first-timer’s “oh, wow!” when they see the springs for the first time.

These days I pilot a boat for the Silver River Museum, where we take local school children down the Silver River as part of their science curriculum. What fun to see their eyes light up at their first look at a gator! I get to share the awesomeness of this part of Florida with young and old—and get paid for it! What a great deal!

When I’m not writing or out on the water, I love to kick back with family and friends poke around Florida’s backwoods with my hubby, ignore housework, read, and plot my next story.