About

Photo by Hallie Barfknecht Photography

Author.

I’m not big on titles. If I tell you I’m an accountant (it just happens to be that I am), you automatically form an impression of me. Maybe you see me wearing thick glasses, tapping away at a calculator, and obsessing over elaborate spreadsheets. Maybe you see me behind a desk counting beans (I swear I’ve never done that). If you think hard enough about it, you’ll come up with a picture of where I live, what I do for fun, and maybe even who I am at my core.

All that from a job title.

Now, if instead I would have told you that I’m a waitress, your vision of me would likely be completely different. The same would be true if I said I was a surgeon, a cop, or an assembly worker. Why? Does what I do for a living really define who I am? Does a single title define any of us?

Of course not, but right or wrong, it’s in our nature to form pictures and assumptions. This is why I dislike titles. They end in judgment, pure and simple.

But for me, bearing the title of author is something entirely different. It does accurately represent who I am and what I’ve worked very hard to become. It symbolizes satisfaction and success, though not necessarily by traditional definition.

I’ve been crafting stories all of my life. From a toddler with wild tales to tell (I’ve been told I wouldn’t shut up even then!) to the present day version of my writer-self, creating worlds, the people who inhabit them, and the situations they find themselves in is part of who I am. Often a story begins as a single idea that takes root in my mind. It grows into something so big that I can no longer contain it. Writing isn’t something I started doing because it sounded fun, but rather something I just had to do.

To see my work and my passion take shape in the form of an actual book with a shiny cover and crisp pages is pretty euphoric. I’ve been waiting for years to take the step from writer to author.

So despite all the negativity I associate with titles, this is one I will fully embrace. I am an author, and I love it!

What do I do besides write?

By day I’m a virtual bookkeeping entrepreneur. I’ve often said that I play with numbers by day and letters by night.  When I’m not working or writing, I enjoy reading, gardening, canning, making candles, soaps and lotions, kayaking, crafts and spending time with my family.

I live in the frozen northland (otherwise known as Wisconsin) with my husband, our two children, and a menagerie of pets.

I love to hear from my readers so feel free to send any questions or comments to christineb_writer@yahoo.com.  I do the very best I can to respond to everyone.

If you’d like to see more of my writing, please visit my website:  www.christinebarfknecht.com