My great grandmother was my first influence as a writer. She wrote many stories, plays, poems, and even drafted an autobiography. On the third floor of her Victorian mansion was a tiny room she called, "The Pumpkin Shell."

This is where she wrote and kept her precious works tucked safely away. Originally, the room was just extra space between walls, a place where the corners of the house all came together. Somewhere in time, the area was framed in and a door added to cover the awkward angles.

It was the perfect writing place. The low slanted ceiling, odd shaped walls, and painted pale orange color gave one the feeling of being inside a pumpkin, thus the name. When I was seven, I thought the room was magical, and oh, how I loved that room.

I would sneak in there when no one was looking! I've written many things over the years and have published several projects under the name Pumpkin Shell Publishing in memory of her wonderful writing place. It only seemed fitting to give Pumpkin Shell Publishing a home…thus The Pumpkin Shell!!   More detail...