About Me:

Well, if you really want to know, here it goes… 

Me and my Mama
About 1964

I was born in '62—yes, NINETEEN-62! When I was a kid, anyone my age now was ancient or near death. Thankfully, I’m still alive and kicking! While I like to think of myself as computer savvy and up to date on everything, sadly, I’m not. My son had to set up this entire account for me and explain it in great detail. I’m certain that over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking up a good portion of his daily life by asking a million questions.

Ready for this? My maiden name is...Candi Apple, honestly! When I was about 12, I asked my dad...a man with a very dry sense of humor...why he'd named me this. His answer was, "Because it goes together." So, there you have it.

I have a younger sister, and although many people have asked if her name is Carmel or Red, she has the perfectly normal name of Tammi. Named after the Debbie Reynolds character in the Tammy movies of the late 1950s to early 1960s, although she hated when we sang the song "Tammy", also known as "Tammy's in Love".  

Okay, back to me. I briefly trained as a nurse’s aide, was Chuck E. Cheese, worked as a gas station attendant, and held jobs at a couple of fast-food joints. I was also a waitress for ten years at several restaurants, including Bob’s Big Boy in Salinas, Monterey, and San Jose, California. Eventually, I got my act together and pursued my lifelong dream of becoming a police officer. I competed against over 200 applicants for just seven open spots with the Salinas Police Department. After multiple exams—including physical, mental, written, a polygraph, and a background check—my dream came true. I went on to proudly serve the citizens of Salinas for twenty-two years.

In between all that, I had a son (the computer-savvy one), married, divorced (we’re still friends), 21 years later I met and later married my second (and LAST!) husband, Todd, who was also a police officer. I became a stepmom to his sweet daughter, watched my son marry a wonderful woman, and was blessed with a grandson and a granddaughter. In 2012, I retired, lost both my parents unexpectedly within 8 months of one another, my husband retired four years after me—he is, coincidentally, four years younger than me. After his retirement we sold our little country home and headed to Arizona to be closer to the grandkids. They live on the surface of the sun in the Phoenix area, while we chose to live in the cooler weather of Northern Arizona’s beautiful White Mountains. We moved from our cute little 720 sq. ft. home on 1 acre to a 2,400 sq. ft., 2-story log home on 10 acres with an 800 sq. ft. shop. Our absolute dream home. We got moved in on December 19th, and on the 25th, we woke up to our very first White Christmas. It was amazing!

I decided I wanted to try new things because you’re NEVER TOO OLD! I began playing with paint pour art, which became popular around that time, and then taught it at the local art store for several years. I entered my first county fair at the age of 55 and won blue ribbons for a few of my paintings and a first-place ribbon for a decorated cake, as well as Best of Show! The following year, I received more blue ribbons for my paintings and a People’s Choice Award! I was thrilled!

Next, I sat down, determined to write stories for each of my grandchildren. I spent months writing one for my grandson—a fun futuristic fantasy set in the 22nd century about two young men, Kian and his buddy Sam, who travel the world and eventually space, finding things for clients, like fuzzy dice and antique cars. They eventually travel the universe on a search for Philmore the Extremely Timid and his three cats—Strixen, Flix, and Morty—while encountering unforgettable characters and finding rare spices and even dragons for customers. For my granddaughter, I started writing a cute tale about her love of animals and soon found myself surrounded by sticky notes, pads of paper, and pencils worn to nubs. I spent hours researching endangered and extinct animals. Her story became an adventure to a magical island where a young girl named Shaylee traverses the island with unique guides and her sidekick, an African Gray Parrot named Rupert. Rupert is quite a handful and the comic relief in this story. Shaylee and Rupert experience exciting adventures while subtly showing the impact humans have on creatures worldwide.

I worked so long and hard on these stories, and they became so much more than I expected, that I decided—at 60 years old—that I want to be a published author! My granddaughter’s story has been written, edited, rewritten, edited, and finalized! I sent it to my first literary agent in July 2024 and received my first rejection letter the following month. I let my lovely editor know, and her response was beautiful: “Badge of pride—the only writers without a rejection letter are the ones who’ve never tried. Good luck and keep going!” …and I am! It’s now with a second literary agent. I’m hopeful and will continue to try. Meanwhile, I’m taking my grandson’s story and breaking it into three smaller stories. It’s been a very fun challenge.

But…as if that isn’t enough…I’ve also done the illustrations for both stories. I was a bit rusty with my drawing skills, but after dusting them off, I’m quite pleased with the results.

...and remember that beautiful dream home in Northern Arizona? Well, on my 60th birthday, while camping at a lake, I looked over at my husband and, with a great deal of courage, asked, “What if we sold the house?” Without hesitation, he answered, “Yes!” Four months later, it was on the market, and 2-1/2 months after that, it was sold to a goat farmer with 65 goats! We bought a truck and a 30-foot travel trailer, and we’ve been on the road with our dog, Rascal, and our two cats, Shadow and Stormy, ever since. That’s a story for another day.

So, that’s me—aren’t you glad you asked?