About me
LeAnne Bristow began her love affair with books at an early age. She often hid books inside her desk and read during class. A teacher actually commented on a report card that "She would do much better in class if she would stop reading." When she outgrew Laura Ingalls Wilder and Beverly Cleary, she graduated to Walter Farley and Judy Blume. Then her favorite aunt gave her an old box of Harlequin romance novels and she was hooked. After reading the entire Americana series by Janet Dailey, LeAnne dreamed of becoming a writer.
As a teenager, she spent hours pecking away on a ribbon style typewriter that she bought at a garage sale. It didn't take long for her to be swept away into her own little world where love conquered all. But as often happens with dreams, life gets in the way. She fell in love with an Arizona native who packed her up, stories and all, and moved her from her small town in central Texas to a small town in southern Arizona, where she fell in love with the desert.
Somewhere in the midst of moving multiple times, raising 3 children and corralling 20+ kindergarteners a year, her box of stories disappeared in storage, but never far from her mind. Then one fateful day, her husband found the box and it rekindled her dream. She began the long, arduous task of rewriting and editing...and adding some new stories. Her writing implements have improved and her characters have matured, but she holds true to her belief that all roads lead to love...especially in the country.
Memberships
The first thing you should do if you're thinking about pursing a career in writing, is join a professional organization that will support you and help you grow. I am proud to be a member of several fantastic organizations that do just that!
More about my Journey
I grew up in a small town in central Texas. And when I say small, I mean SMALL. Less than 700 people...13 people in my graduating class...
1 flashing red light and everything closes up by 8pm. There was no bookstore. No public library. Nothing to feed my insatiable appetite for books.
I went through every book in our small school library and was one of Scholastic Books best customers. I couldn't wait for my teachers
to send home that beloved book flyer each month. But during the summer I couldn't get books so I decided to create my own stories.
Complete, of course, with a happily ever after. I dreamed of the day I would publish my own stories.
One of the first rules I was told when I started my writing journey was to "Write what you know." What is that?
Both my parents were alcoholics and I was raised by my grandmother, who was a saint of a woman and whose heart I broke more times than I care to admit.
I was raised in church but was a bit of a wild child in high school. I found out I was pregnant two weeks before graduating high school and was told that I'd
ruined my life and would never amount to anything. I was determined to prove those people wrong. I'm a little stubborn like that. (Ask my husband.) I graduated Magna Cum Laude from college and went on to earn a graduate degree.I've been married to the father of my children for over 30 years, despite a lot of
bumps in the road. So when someone asks me what I know, my answer is broken families, forgiveness and a lot of faith. I think you'll see a lot of those themes reflected in my stories.
I'm not perfect. I enjoy a beer when I'm camping with my husband. The occasional swear word slips out when I least expect it. I don't attend church every
Sunday, but I have learned to rely on Him every day. Many people can relate to the prodigal son. Most of us have strayed from God's will for our lives at
some point, and I'm no exception. Some might even say I set the standard. Thankfully, we serve a patient, loving and forgiving God.
I write mostly sweet and clean stories, not inspirational (faith based) stories, but that doesn't mean that God isn't behind everything I do.
Did you know the Biblical book of Esther doesn't mention God? Not once. However, there is no denying that the book glorifies God. That's what I hope to do.
I write emotional stories about broken families, wounded hearts, bad boys chasing good girls (or vice versa) and a loving God that brings them together,
even when God isn't mentioned on the page. I write about family, faith and forgiveness.
I write about love: Love for each other, which I hope points to God's love for us.
So if you're looking for the perfect author who has led the perfect life, it's not me.
I'm only here by the grace of God and I'd be honored if you'd accompany me on my journey.
