Introducing Ann Larson – by Diana Taylor

As the outgoing treasurer, I’d like to introduce Ann Larson, who has agreed to be the  guild’s new treasurer. This year she was a semi-finalist in ACFW’s (American Christian Fiction Writers) Genesis contest. She is a member of the University City critique group and is working on an exciting thriller/mystery about an art theft. I’ll let her tell you the rest of her story in her own words:

I grew up in Massachusetts. I went to Wellesley College and majored in Art History. Unable to land a job at Boston art galleries or museums, I traveled to the west coast and lived on a farm in British Columbia for a year. Then I returned to the States and joined a communal Christian household in Chula Vista. I did odd jobs while living there, including a stint at a Christian bookstore. My time there provided me with a solid foundation for my Christian faith. Later I moved into an apartment and found a job in a regular bookstore. When that ended, I worked at Sears and later AT&T.

I met my future husband at Faith Chapel. After getting married, I tried to expand my hobby of photography into a business. When it didn’t work out, I went back to school and got an accounting degree from UCSD Extended Studies program. I passed the CPA exam and worked for a number of accounting firms, primarily dealing with individual taxes. I had begun writing a children’s book with a friend who was a terrific illustrator, and being a great admirer of CS Lewis, I began a sci-fi novel. I met Randy Ingermanson at a book-signing for his novel Oxygen, and he encouraged me to join the Guild and become a member of a critique group. I joined the Poway critique group and began to attend the annual writing conferences. I also worked on a second novel, a bio-thriller.

Due to a medical condition, I ‘retired’ from my tax accountant job. My
writing plans were disrupted, as was my whole life, when our house and nearly all our belongings burned down in the 2007 Witch Creek fire. It took almost three years to settle with the insurance company and acquire enough furniture and clothing to return to a normal life. We recently bought our first home after the fire and now live in a lovely condo in Del Mar. God has been so good to us throughout.

I’m very grateful to the Guild and my critique group friends. They welcomed me back to writing again and it has helped enormously in fully recovering. My life is in a much better place. I appreciate the trust the Guild has placed in me to take over for Diana, who’s done an outstanding job as treasurer for the last ten years!