About Me

In a dusty box of keepsakes, hidden at the back of my closet, is a faded, brittle sheet of red and blue lined primary school paper that reads: 

"When I grow up, I am going to be a writer."

Even in first grade, I knew what I wanted to do. 

All through school, I wrote -- poetry, short stories, random bits and pieces of prose, and even plotted out several novels. After having my writing skill questioned by a senior English teacher, I gave up my dream of writing fiction and went the 'safe' route, straight into journalism.

It wasn't until I graduated with a degree in Journalism and moved to Australia to work as a Communication Director for a small publishing house, that I realized I was not doing something I enjoyed -- I had lost my path. So I decided to chase my dream, despite the advice of my English teacher. 

I saved up every cent I could and bought myself a turquoise iMac and started to write. Any spare moment I had, I was writing. Page after page of words; none of which were ever seen by another living soul. It took another 15 years, a Ph.D., multiple academic publications, a move back to the US, a husband, a child and getting out of academia, for me to realize it was time to get serious about writing fiction. 

Thanks to my strange life-path, writing has always been a focal point in my day -- whether that was as a journalist, PR specialist, communication director, university professor or program analyst.I spent 15 years teaching university, both in Australia and in the US. Most memorably I spent three years teaching Technical Writing, or as I described it: "Teaching engineering majors how to communicate with non-engineers." Having escaped the academic ivory tower and the creativity-stifling 'publish or perish' mentality, I am finally getting back to my first love -- fiction. 

I am a geek who loves suspense, thrillers, fantasy and action. As a writer, Urban Fantasy allows me to meld my interests while indulging the 'geeky philosophical' questions that keep me awake until the wee hours of the morning: 

• What if mortals were once magical, but have forgotten the power they once had?
• What if mortal science is a remnant of their lost magic? 
• If myths, legends, and folklore are based in 'truth', imagine if all mythical, legendary, fantastical and supernatural beings shared the mortal world. 

When I'm not working or trying desperately to persuade my muse to let me write, I can be found hanging out with my wonderful (and tolerant) husband and our 6-year-old daughter. They are my cheer-squad and help me keep my sense of humor about everything.