I was born and raised in Independence, Missouri. Oldest of five children, I became an entrepreneur at the age of nine, shoveling snow, running a paper route, cutting grass, and running errands for ...view moreI was born and raised in Independence, Missouri. Oldest of five children, I became an entrepreneur at the age of nine, shoveling snow, running a paper route, cutting grass, and running errands for the elders. I discovered my passion to write when my mother sent a poem I wrote to Hall-Mark entitled “My Rose.”view less