"Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90
percent how I react to it." ~ Coach Lou Holtz
percent how I react to it." ~ Coach Lou Holtz
My BIO....
"Making up stories is always a great distraction, the very
best kind of distraction!" ~ Charlotte Dillon
Charlotte Dillon was born in a small town in southern Louisiana, only a couple
of hours from New Orleans. As a child, she feared bedtime, when the house
would grow still and quiet; when all the lights would be turned out one by one,
until her bedroom settled into inky darkness and shadows. There was one sure
way not to notice the slow movement that she could swear was near her
closet, or the soft breaths that she could almost hear under her bed--make up a
tale, a wonderful story to carry her away. Each night, while Charlotte waited
for sleep to come, she invented characters, designed worlds, and slipped away
from the darkness and her childhood fear.
"Making up stories is always a great distraction, the very
best kind of distraction!" ~ Charlotte Dillon
Charlotte Dillon was born in a small town in southern Louisiana, only a couple
of hours from New Orleans. As a child, she feared bedtime, when the house
would grow still and quiet; when all the lights would be turned out one by one,
until her bedroom settled into inky darkness and shadows. There was one sure
way not to notice the slow movement that she could swear was near her
closet, or the soft breaths that she could almost hear under her bed--make up a
tale, a wonderful story to carry her away. Each night, while Charlotte waited
for sleep to come, she invented characters, designed worlds, and slipped away
from the darkness and her childhood fear.
By the time she began school, reading was a favorite hobby--that and any kind of animal that needed a
home. Charlotte devoured books about horses, far away places, long ago days and children brave enough to
face any battle and win. She wrote short stories for fun and still made up her tales at bedtime, even when she
outgrew her fears.
In high school, a friend handed her a romance novel to read one day. It seemed the perfect kind of book. In
romance novels there were always happy endings, the good guys never finished last, and dreams did come
true.
Thousands of romance books later, after marriage and babies, Charlotte wrote the first words of a romance
story of her very own. Way back then she actually thought you just wrote a manuscript, sent it off to a
publisher, and a few months later it was a book on the store shelves. At last count she had a folder full of
nine year's worth of rejection letters to prove that greenhorn theory dead wrong! We are talking no need for
life-support, don't even waste your time on CPR.
Charlotte still lives in that same little town in Louisiana, one house over from where she grew up. These days
she shares her home with her hero husband, two wonderful children, too many spoiled dogs, and what ever
wild pet she has taken in at the time -- from fallen baby blue jays to lost baby possums. Even now, she
makes up bedtime tales when she can't rest at night, but at least she has a perfect place to share her
adventures -- in her books. She spends her days as a freelance writer, and evenings and weekends working
on her tales of heroes, horses, and the kind of romance that dreams are made of.
home. Charlotte devoured books about horses, far away places, long ago days and children brave enough to
face any battle and win. She wrote short stories for fun and still made up her tales at bedtime, even when she
outgrew her fears.
In high school, a friend handed her a romance novel to read one day. It seemed the perfect kind of book. In
romance novels there were always happy endings, the good guys never finished last, and dreams did come
true.
Thousands of romance books later, after marriage and babies, Charlotte wrote the first words of a romance
story of her very own. Way back then she actually thought you just wrote a manuscript, sent it off to a
publisher, and a few months later it was a book on the store shelves. At last count she had a folder full of
nine year's worth of rejection letters to prove that greenhorn theory dead wrong! We are talking no need for
life-support, don't even waste your time on CPR.
Charlotte still lives in that same little town in Louisiana, one house over from where she grew up. These days
she shares her home with her hero husband, two wonderful children, too many spoiled dogs, and what ever
wild pet she has taken in at the time -- from fallen baby blue jays to lost baby possums. Even now, she
makes up bedtime tales when she can't rest at night, but at least she has a perfect place to share her
adventures -- in her books. She spends her days as a freelance writer, and evenings and weekends working
on her tales of heroes, horses, and the kind of romance that dreams are made of.
Fun Facts About Me
Immediate Family ~~ One husband, one son, one daughter.
Greatest Silly Fear ~~ Needles. Nope, not the sewing kind. The sticking kind. I've been in great pain
more than once, childbirth comes to mind, and refused to take anything for it because they only
wanted to give me a shot. Just the thought of a blood test will leave my skin cold and sweaty and my
heart racing. Thought I would out grow it, but I'm...well... Let's just say I'm over twenty-five, so if I
haven't got over it yet, I bettca I'm not gonna. (Smile)
Favorite Female Movie Star -- Okay, this one I can't answer because by the time I do and post it
here, it'd probably change. My favorite female movie star changes from movie to movie at times.
Others I seem to almost always like their movies, kind of the tried and true, including Julia Roberts,
Sally Field, Drew Barrymore, Sandra Bullock, Jodie Foster, Ashley Judd, Goldie Hawn, and Nicole
Kidman.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor ~~ Butter Pecan or Strawberry Cheesecake, depending on the phase of
the moon. (Smile) Honestly, since I've been having trouble with my blood sugar levels, ice cream and
any other sweets are on my rarely to never list. (Frown)
Favorite Sport ~~ Football
Favorite Kind of Music ~~ Depends. Sometimes it's country, sometimes it's rock. Older rock
though, like from the 70's, 80's and early 90's. I even like some music from the 50's and 60's. If it has
a good beat or tells a good story, I probably like it.
Favorite Male Movie Star ~~ I fell in love with Michael J. Fox when I was a teenager, well, he was
one too back then, and he was staring on Family Ties. Haven't lost the flame for him yet. (Smile.) If
you like a good romance movie, he's great in Doc Hollywood, oh, and The Hard Way.
Favorite Animal ~~ No tie on this one. My favorite animal is now and has always been the horse. I
had horses while I was growing up and miss them so much. I wish I lived in an area where I could still
own at least one. Maybe some day.
Favorite Drink ~~ I'm simple and southern, so it's ice tea. Fake sugar please, and no lemon.
Morning Person or Night Owl ~~ I get up around four almost every morning. So I better be a
morning person. (Smile) And luckily I am. I wake up ready to go. No coffee needed. Just give me a
couple of minutes to get my eyes open and that's all I need. (Never could stand coffee anyway.)
Favorite Flower ~~ Oh my. I tried to get this down to one, but I can't. Seems I'm having that trouble
with a lot of these. Gardenias are my favorite because of the way they smell. I have three bushes of
them in my front yard. And roses are my favorite because of how they look and of all of the colors
they come in. I have some of them in my yard too, but they take a lot more work than the gardenias.
Favorite Take Out food ~~ Chinese
Favorite Old Series ~~ If they made me laugh or cry, I loved 'em. That means my favorites are
many and include a wide mix such as I Love Lucy, The Waltons, the Honeymooners, All in the
Family, Good Times, Alice, Little House of the Prairie, Three's Company, Give Me a Break, Highway
to Heaven, The Golden Girls, Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, and Roseanne. (I don't like writing in
quiet. Odd I know. :-) So there's a TV in my office and while I type away, the rerun of some series
is usually playing in the background. I've seen them all enough that I can tune them out and
concentrate on what I'm doing, but know what's going on if I take a break and want to watch while I
eat lunch or...shiver...do house work.)
Favorite Color ~~ Purple
Hobbies ~~ I don't have much time for a hobby. But I love to do craft-type home things. I like to
cook too.
Favorite Movie Lines ~~ As Good as it Gets - "You make me want to be a better man." Cobra -
"You're the disease and I'm the cure."
Favorite Comfort Food ~~ Any high fat, high calorie southern food that mom cooked for Sunday
dinner. It could be fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and hot biscuits -- or -
roast beef, potatoes and carrots, rice with gravy, and hot biscuits -- or -- fried catfish, hushpuppies,
French fries, and coleslaw. We can fry or pour gravy over anything, even do both. You should try
fries with roast beef and gravy on top. (Smile) I guess there's no need to explain why I'm on a diet and
these foods are on my rarely to never list also.
Favorite Author ~~ Way too many to list! And I wouldn't know how to pick just one--or even just
five or ten. There are so many great writers that I love; some long gone, some just getting started.
Most are romance authors, but not all of 'em.
Pets ~~ I always have too many. Especially dogs. I'm a soft touch for a stray. No, I will not give out
my address so you can drop yours off. (Smile) I have seven dogs right now. Yes, seven. I have to be
nuts. I also have four birds. And nothing else. Which isn't the norm. I've been known to have all kinds
of pets, and to take in all kinds of wild babies to raise.
Favorite Clothing ~~ I'm the most comfortable in a pair of stretch jeans and a simple shirt, or better
yet, T-shirt. Don't tell anyone, but I love to run around without shoes too. My mom was always
yelling at me about it, saying I was going to step on something. I did, many times. Of course I didn't
tell very often, since that could have meant a needle. See above about needles. (Smile)
Favorite Not-So-Old Series ~~ Buffy, King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond, That 70's
Show, Malcolm in the Middle, Reba, Grounded for Life, CSI, Eight Simple Rules, and Cold Case
Files. I guess none of these are that new either. (Of course as this stays here over time, they will
probably become old series.)
Collections ~~ Let's see. Recipes. Have a ton of them I've cut out or off of things. For my kitchen,
watermelon stuff. You know, watermelon-look salt shaker, dish towels, cut outs, glasses, ect... I also
collect old cast iron pots and pans. Actually cook in them too. Oh, and I have a large collection of
used stamps. Yes, used. :-) I've gotten stamps from all over the world. Many thanks to friends who
would cut them off of their mail and then send them to me when they got a pile of them. Guess I
collect dogs too, since I've got so many. (Double Smile)
Reality TV ~~ I take this by spells, but I like Big Brother, Survivor, America's Next Top Model, and
The Amazing Race.
Favorite Book ~~ Which ever last great book I finished.
Favorite Vacation ~~ Alone time with hubby. We don't have much of that. We both work too much,
or have family around.
Greatest Silly Fear ~~ Needles. Nope, not the sewing kind. The sticking kind. I've been in great pain
more than once, childbirth comes to mind, and refused to take anything for it because they only
wanted to give me a shot. Just the thought of a blood test will leave my skin cold and sweaty and my
heart racing. Thought I would out grow it, but I'm...well... Let's just say I'm over twenty-five, so if I
haven't got over it yet, I bettca I'm not gonna. (Smile)
Favorite Female Movie Star -- Okay, this one I can't answer because by the time I do and post it
here, it'd probably change. My favorite female movie star changes from movie to movie at times.
Others I seem to almost always like their movies, kind of the tried and true, including Julia Roberts,
Sally Field, Drew Barrymore, Sandra Bullock, Jodie Foster, Ashley Judd, Goldie Hawn, and Nicole
Kidman.
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor ~~ Butter Pecan or Strawberry Cheesecake, depending on the phase of
the moon. (Smile) Honestly, since I've been having trouble with my blood sugar levels, ice cream and
any other sweets are on my rarely to never list. (Frown)
Favorite Sport ~~ Football
Favorite Kind of Music ~~ Depends. Sometimes it's country, sometimes it's rock. Older rock
though, like from the 70's, 80's and early 90's. I even like some music from the 50's and 60's. If it has
a good beat or tells a good story, I probably like it.
Favorite Male Movie Star ~~ I fell in love with Michael J. Fox when I was a teenager, well, he was
one too back then, and he was staring on Family Ties. Haven't lost the flame for him yet. (Smile.) If
you like a good romance movie, he's great in Doc Hollywood, oh, and The Hard Way.
Favorite Animal ~~ No tie on this one. My favorite animal is now and has always been the horse. I
had horses while I was growing up and miss them so much. I wish I lived in an area where I could still
own at least one. Maybe some day.
Favorite Drink ~~ I'm simple and southern, so it's ice tea. Fake sugar please, and no lemon.
Morning Person or Night Owl ~~ I get up around four almost every morning. So I better be a
morning person. (Smile) And luckily I am. I wake up ready to go. No coffee needed. Just give me a
couple of minutes to get my eyes open and that's all I need. (Never could stand coffee anyway.)
Favorite Flower ~~ Oh my. I tried to get this down to one, but I can't. Seems I'm having that trouble
with a lot of these. Gardenias are my favorite because of the way they smell. I have three bushes of
them in my front yard. And roses are my favorite because of how they look and of all of the colors
they come in. I have some of them in my yard too, but they take a lot more work than the gardenias.
Favorite Take Out food ~~ Chinese
Favorite Old Series ~~ If they made me laugh or cry, I loved 'em. That means my favorites are
many and include a wide mix such as I Love Lucy, The Waltons, the Honeymooners, All in the
Family, Good Times, Alice, Little House of the Prairie, Three's Company, Give Me a Break, Highway
to Heaven, The Golden Girls, Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, and Roseanne. (I don't like writing in
quiet. Odd I know. :-) So there's a TV in my office and while I type away, the rerun of some series
is usually playing in the background. I've seen them all enough that I can tune them out and
concentrate on what I'm doing, but know what's going on if I take a break and want to watch while I
eat lunch or...shiver...do house work.)
Favorite Color ~~ Purple
Hobbies ~~ I don't have much time for a hobby. But I love to do craft-type home things. I like to
cook too.
Favorite Movie Lines ~~ As Good as it Gets - "You make me want to be a better man." Cobra -
"You're the disease and I'm the cure."
Favorite Comfort Food ~~ Any high fat, high calorie southern food that mom cooked for Sunday
dinner. It could be fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and hot biscuits -- or -
roast beef, potatoes and carrots, rice with gravy, and hot biscuits -- or -- fried catfish, hushpuppies,
French fries, and coleslaw. We can fry or pour gravy over anything, even do both. You should try
fries with roast beef and gravy on top. (Smile) I guess there's no need to explain why I'm on a diet and
these foods are on my rarely to never list also.
Favorite Author ~~ Way too many to list! And I wouldn't know how to pick just one--or even just
five or ten. There are so many great writers that I love; some long gone, some just getting started.
Most are romance authors, but not all of 'em.
Pets ~~ I always have too many. Especially dogs. I'm a soft touch for a stray. No, I will not give out
my address so you can drop yours off. (Smile) I have seven dogs right now. Yes, seven. I have to be
nuts. I also have four birds. And nothing else. Which isn't the norm. I've been known to have all kinds
of pets, and to take in all kinds of wild babies to raise.
Favorite Clothing ~~ I'm the most comfortable in a pair of stretch jeans and a simple shirt, or better
yet, T-shirt. Don't tell anyone, but I love to run around without shoes too. My mom was always
yelling at me about it, saying I was going to step on something. I did, many times. Of course I didn't
tell very often, since that could have meant a needle. See above about needles. (Smile)
Favorite Not-So-Old Series ~~ Buffy, King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond, That 70's
Show, Malcolm in the Middle, Reba, Grounded for Life, CSI, Eight Simple Rules, and Cold Case
Files. I guess none of these are that new either. (Of course as this stays here over time, they will
probably become old series.)
Collections ~~ Let's see. Recipes. Have a ton of them I've cut out or off of things. For my kitchen,
watermelon stuff. You know, watermelon-look salt shaker, dish towels, cut outs, glasses, ect... I also
collect old cast iron pots and pans. Actually cook in them too. Oh, and I have a large collection of
used stamps. Yes, used. :-) I've gotten stamps from all over the world. Many thanks to friends who
would cut them off of their mail and then send them to me when they got a pile of them. Guess I
collect dogs too, since I've got so many. (Double Smile)
Reality TV ~~ I take this by spells, but I like Big Brother, Survivor, America's Next Top Model, and
The Amazing Race.
Favorite Book ~~ Which ever last great book I finished.
Favorite Vacation ~~ Alone time with hubby. We don't have much of that. We both work too much,
or have family around.
