L. Darnell Hill

L. Darnell Hill comes from Tennessee, moving to Amarillo, Texas when she was nine years old. Her father taught her to read when she was five and, at least once a week, they enjoyed...view moreL. Darnell Hill comes from Tennessee, moving to Amarillo, Texas when she was nine years old. Her father taught her to read when she was five and, at least once a week, they enjoyed walking together to the library, where they each checked out the maximum number of books allowed. The shift from the green hills and mountains of Tennessee were especially hard on her mother, who despised the incessant winds and multitude of dust storms in Amarillo during the 1950s. Hill has one sister, seven years younger than she. Linda’s education, beginning at Abilene Christian College and continuing at West Texas State University, was interrupted when she was married and subsequently had three children. In 1979, she returned to WTSU and completed a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1981. She immediately began work on her master’s degree three days later, and was awarded an M.Ed. in professional counseling with a minor in psychology in 1983. With her degrees under her belt, she became a substance-abuse counselor, then a family counselor for a local agency. In l986, she went into private practice as a psychotherapist. She always felt she’d chosen the perfect career. In 1983 she married Fred Gene Hill, also a psychotherapist. They developed a practice as Hill Associates and enjoyed many years of working together until she retired in 2000. She became a Master Gardener, and was passionate about gardening for many years until her health prevented gardening actively. She meets with her critique group once a week, and attends workshops and seminars any time they’re available, always eager to learn more about her craft. She has been a member of Panhandle Professional Writers Assn. for the last two years. Her writing novels began slowly in 2009, and her first book was published in 2010. This is her second book, and another should be out before the end of 2013.view less