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A Midwesterner, Linda,
grew up the eldest of three children in the small, rural community
of Macon, Illinois; tall corn, soybeans, railroad tracks and no
stoplights. Before and after school, she spent any squeeze of
spare time among band practices, singing, school plays and editing
the yearbook, preciously tending to injured or orphaned animals,
wild or domestic. The thought occurred to her that becoming a
veterinarian might be a perfectly matched profession. Instead,
she became a veteran (that's close, right?) Linda pursued and
achieved dreams of travel and education during her twenty-three
year career as a United States Marine. She holds a Bachelor of
Science degree in Occupational Business Management and a Master
of Science in Educational Psychology from Eastern Illinois University.
Upon retiring from the Marine Corps, Linda began teaching curriculum
psychology courses and designing soft skill/hard skill industry
training for the North Carolina Community College System and diverse
corporate clients. Finding herself oddly stationary in military
retirement, she longed to return to her roots as an animal caretaker.
With approval from her 'indoor only' cats, Linda began volunteering
at a local wildlife shelter pursuing her passion in wildlife conservation
and rehabilitation, which now spans fourteen years. She quickly
achieved her certification as a state wildlife rehabilitator,
is four term past President and current board member of the Wildlife
Rehabilitators of North Carolina, Inc. and continues to actively
volunteer at the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter (OWLS) in Newport,
working clinic in rehabilitation, mentoring new volunteers and
facilitating tour groups. Linda is proactively concerned with
the loss of wildlife habitat due to progressive development throughout
the United States and seeks to rally support for the protection
and stewardship of America's extraordinary natural resources.
Linda is a staunch advocate for animal rights and resides in eastern
North Carolina with her husband, John.
Save
Them All is Linda's first novel.
The
Purple Fence, sequel to STA, is in the works.
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