I grew up in Darien, CT, in houses filled with books, clay, crayons, fabric, pencils, pens, and paint. Some of our pantries were shelved rows-deep in books. Nothing creative was off limits. Although when my brother and I built a single passenger glider out of plywood, my mother refused to tow it behind her Chevy Nova to get us airborn. My brother, not to be thwarted by this hiccup in our aviation adventures, went on to become an airline pilot like my father. I chose a more earthbound career.

We moved to Westport, CT when I was fourteen. I graduated from Staples High School, then attended Bates College in Maine as a French Major before transferring to Albright College in Pennsylvania for a BS in Computer Science. I received an MA in Communication from Fairfield University, in Connecticut, while working as a software engineer.

In 1997, tired of East Coast traffic, I sold my house, quit my job, and drove to Spokane, Washington in my Jeep Wrangler to take on a software job at Hewlett Packard. Bandit, my cat, rode shotgun.

Shortly after I arrived in Spokane I met Brian. It was love at first sight. He’s a raft guide. I’m a writer. We carve out time each week for these dream jobs, while working fulltime at our day jobs.

We have three cats: Buster, Polly, and Black Fluffy.  One of the best things about being married is not having to make excuses for having cats. We didn't want three cats, but Black Fluffy was a stray we couldn't resist.

Even with our fulltime jobs and our dream jobs, we manage to schedule several weeks each year for wilderness river trips.  In 2006 we rafted the Grand Canyon on a private canoe/raft trip for 27 days in February/March.  I’m not sure which was better, the endless whitewater or the month off work.  Being in the wilderness recharges me, and I will often recharge my fictional characters' lives by sending them outdoors.

Our wilderness trips aren’t only about whitewater.  We paddle flatwater trips (lakes) and moving water trips (slow rivers) as well.  Our favorite flatwater trip is the Bowron Lake circuit in British Columbia.  That’s where we once exposed ourselves to a young, male grizzly while taking a very naked solar shower.  The White River in British Columbia is another favorite.  

In 2007 I started working toward an MA in Writing Popular Fiction at Seton Hill University, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. This wonderful program has curtailed my river adventures somewhat, but I’m just as excited to travel to PA for each of my residency weeks as I would be planning a whitewater wilderness trip. Imagine that! And it’s not just because the food’s better. 

The novel I’m currently writing, UNDER A CANYON MOON, takes place in the Utah desert, where romance heats up during summer canyon nights.  Stay tuned.