Welcome!

My name is Rachel and I am so glad you’re here at the virtual front door of my blog, Somewhere in Siena.

I am in my late 20’s (what, how did that happen?) and I am a self-proclaimed writer, poet and wordsmith. Writing is my beloved hobby, but not my day job. During my days I am an Environmental, Health and Safety Manager for a large manufacturing company. During my nights, I light a candle, curl up with my dogs, pour a cup of coffee, and write whatever my heart has to say.

Speaking of dogs, I have two little beings that depend on me for food and one too many treats.  Their names are Max and Moxie. Moxie is a black German Shephard that loves to run as fast as she can and Max is a chocolate Yorkie that can never get close enough. Their personalities are as different as their appearance. Both of my babies are 3 years old and although they test my sanity and I live under a pile of dog hair, I would be a lost and lonely soul without them.

Besides writing, I have oodles of other passions and interests. I have a love of words, so it might be obvious that my home is covered in books and I love reading. I am a Christian, I love God and I love my church and the beauty that faith has sprinkled over every component of my life. I have, hands down, the best friends and family (mom and dad below) in the world. They are loving, kind, caring, hilarious and just genuinely good people.  I have a heart for community outreach. I spend a great deal of my time pouring my heart into the two causes close to my heart, Alzheimer’s and homelessness.

I live in a military community, I love the country I live in and I am thankful for those who have protected it. I lead a fairly healthy life. I get energy from my 5am workouts and I love homegrown fruits and veggies. I over indulge in Chianti and dark chocolate regularly because life requires balance (amiright?).I am always early, I love my parents dearly and I try whole-heartedly to make my corner of the world a little better and a little brighter.

My writing can be found in various places in print and in the cyber world. I was an editor for a well-rounded online publication called Literally, Darling for a year and a half. I have been published on the Huffington Post, Huffington Post Women, BlogHer.com, AltDaily.com and ElephantJournal.com. I have been interviewed by HuffPo Live and I had an article published in the September issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine (if I didn’t have it framed on my wall, I would think it was all a dream).

I hope you enjoy getting to know me, I sure would like to get to know you as well. Please leave a comment or send me some love at iamrachelfrancis@gmail.com.