A.M.Westerling

I grew up in a small Alberta town. Reading was my ticket to the world and I spent a large part of my childhood between the covers of a book. My mom introduced me to romance novels when I was a teenager, but it was my dad who introduced me to historical romance. He suggested I read Catherine Cookson. That was it – I was hooked on the historical novel and to this day, it is still my preference.

I graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, a husband (we met in ballroom dancing class -I took it to learn how to dance, he to meet girls – mission accomplished on both counts!),  and a love for Kathleen Woodiwiss, Rosemary Rogers, and Jennifer Wilde. (Okay, maybe I should have focussed a bit more on thermodynamics and less on going to the local bookstore!)

I worked for a number of years in Alberta’s oil industry before my husband and I started our own engineering company.  In those early, pre-client days, I dabbled at writing because I had to be in the office and had nothing to do. (We often joke about going from two jobs, no kids, to two kids, no jobs – although it wasn’t so funny at the time!) As our company became more successful, I put the writing aside to concentrate on the business. Fifteen years later, the company was bought out and that was when I decided to write full time.

Besides writing, I enjoy gardening, camping, yoga, going for walks, and watching sports – NFL, NASCAR and my hometown Calgary Stampeders and Calgary Flames.  I belong to the Association of Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, the Romance Writers of America, and am active in the Calgary chapter of the RWA.

My husband and I live in Calgary in the same house we bought just after we got married. We have two adult sons and honestly, I don’t know how that happened!