Author Biography

For as long as I can remember, I have had a love affair with books.  I longed to visit the small, local library in my hometown of Lexington, Ohio.  I slowly traced the spines of books as I walked the aisles, waiting for that one special book to capture my attention.  When I received my own library card (which looking back was very archaic by today's standards--a peach cardboard with a small tin plate embedded in its center), I was ecstatic.  I had finally arrived.

Growing up, I lived next door to a retired school teacher who befriended me and allowed me to browse her own personal library.  She would let me take a few books at a time and then we'd discuss my favorites.  When she passed away, I inherited many of her books.  Soon, my parents granted my request for a bookcase for my birthday.   My next project was to make my own card catalog system.  For each and every book I owned, I created its own card with all the appropriate information.  I spent time organizing my library using the Dewey Decimal system.  Once all this was complete, I was in business.  I quickly announced to all the neighborhood kids that I had a library and was willing to loan out my books.  Of course, I even charged late fees of 10¢ per day.  I think that entire summer I made a whopping $1.10 in late fees, but I wasn't in it for the money.  I was in it to share the love of the written word. 

When I was in the middle of 8th grade, my parents got this crazy idea that living in Arizona would be so cool.  At first, I was thrilled about the excitement of moving to a new town and experiencing a different culture.  January in the cold & ice, we packed up our home in Lexington and drove out to our final destination, Tempe.  Our last night on the road, my parents made the decision to stay overnight in Flagstaff because a snow storm was forecasted.  What?  Snow in Arizona?  I couldn't believe it.  I will never forget the following morning driving south on I-17.  Snow was everywhere and my sister & I couldn't believe the desert had snow.  It was beautiful, but I really started doubting my dad's promise of warmth & sunshine in "The Valley of the Sun."  But by the time we reached Tempe, it was warm enough for shorts and that was good enough for me; however, Ohio is in my blood and I miss it terribly.

My parents ended up moving us to nearby Mesa during my Sophomore year.  Talk about bad timing...they move us across the country while I'm in Jr. High and now 1/2 way through my high school years, they move us again!  Fortunately, I liked our new home, neighborhood and high school and easily transitioned to the new place.  I graduated from Westwood High School where I swore to everyone I knew that I would be an English teacher someday. 

I never did pursue a teaching degree, but earned a Bachelors in Business Management, working in marketing.  After all, marketing and public relations is all about words and capturing interest.  I worked for many years in marketing, media and even founded a small local newspaper.

During this time, I had two beautiful daughters.  I know everyone says that about their children, but trust me, they are the most beautiful girls in the world!  Not to mention, smart, funny, and full of life.  They have carried me through many rough patches in life and I love them dearly.

So all along, I've snatched time here and there to indulge my love of reading, especially mysteries and one day I said to my husband, "I could write a mystery.  I should do it!".  Being the supportive hubby that he is, he encouraged me to pursue writing.  He even helped me construct my main characters and continues to be my biggest fan.

Because my husband is a major techie, he picked out all the elements for my new laptop computer which would be strictly for writing only.  It wasn't in my office for a full day before I started typing away.  Writing was easy at times, and challenging at others.  I realized I couldn't get much writing done during the summer when the kids were around, but I kept at it.

The best part about my first book is that it mirrors a cruise that my husband and I took a couple years ago.  My husband and I have become quite addicted to traveling, mostly cruising and have racked up the Frequent Cruiser Points quickly.  I plan to use our personal travel experiences to create the next books in the series.  Is that not the best excuse to travel?  "Honey, we need to go on a Baltic cruise because my next book will be set upon one!!"  I doubt that will work more than once, but then again, he's addicted to cruising/traveling too!

When I finished Murder on the Med, my dear mother (who now lives back in beautiful Ohio) spent two days (about 9 hours total) listening to me read my manuscript over the phone.  How many mothers would actually do that?  She would listen, laugh, cry, gasp...it was a blast to hear someone react to the story I created.  At the end, she was nearly speechless and I knew that I won over my first fan!

I still long for the lovely seasons of Ohio, but make up for it by spending each Saturday in the fall watching my favorite college football team, The Ohio State Buckeyes play--my favorite season of the year!  Fellow Buckeye fans will enjoy the few references in my book.

So, I guess the little, shy girl from Lexington, Ohio who couldn't get enough of books, finally focused her passion in a new direction! 

I hope you enjoy the stories!  Happy Reading!