Becke Turner grew up in the bustling small town of Salem, Illinois, population approximately eight thousand. 🏩 Her childhood was filled with adventures, often riding her horse 🐎 through the streets of town and the rolling countryside that surrounded it. Those carefree days exploring trails and fields sparked her lifelong love of animals and the outdoors.
🏩 During her freshman year at the University of Miami, her dreams of becoming a veterinarian veered off course. Her parents shipped her horse 🐎 to college but not her car 🚗, so she started a work-for-hire writing business to fund her taxi rides to the stables. For five bucks, a pass-fail English student could purchase a paper guaranteed to pass—and none were returned. ✍️
Inspired by authors like Zane Grey, Marguerite Henry, and Jack London, Becke developed a deep love for stories about animals. 🐾 While she powered through college-required reading 📚, her first encounter with a Julie Garwood historical romance changed everything. She was so captivated that she wrote her first manuscript on a borrowed manual typewriter while her son crawled at her feet.
After earning her nursing degree 🩹 in St. Louis, Becke worked in acute care at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Ohio State University Medical Center. Her career expanded into Medicare policy development, creating programs to improve diagnostics and prevent fraud. 💼 Eventually, she joined IBM Watson Health to refine these initiatives further. In 2017, Becke retired from healthcare to write full time. ✍️
Now residing in Blythewood, South Carolina, with her high school sweetheart of over fifty years 💕, Becke is the proud mother of two children—a pilot for American Airlines ✈️ and a Certified Nurse Midwife 🩹 —and doting grandmother to five amazing grandchildren. 👨👩👦
Becke’s Passions
Animals 🐎 🐶 : Becke’s love of animals—especially horses—runs deep. She even earned certification as a professional dog groomer in Dallas, Texas, at age 27.
Cowgirl Life 🤠 : Becke spent four years running her family’s cattle ranch, providing firsthand experience for her rancher romances. Staring down one-ton bulls 🐂 and protective cows was no small feat, but it shaped her stories with authenticity.
Fitness Enthusiast ️🏋️♀️: Whether swimming, kayaking, or skiing, Becke loves staying active and enjoys creating healthy recipes—with the occasional indulgent dessert. 🍰
Medicine 🩹 : The miracle of the human body continues to inspire Becke. Her fascination with anatomy and physiology was key to her success in nursing and fuels her storytelling with a human touch.
Occupations Over the Years
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- 🐾 Certified Dog Groomer
- 🐎 Horse Trainer
- 🐂 Rancher
- 💼 Medicare Policy Coordinator/Healthcare Data Analyst
- 🩹 Registered Nurse
- ✍️ Writer
