Originally from Los Angeles, I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with my four daughters. Almost everything I do is for them—except writing. Writing is for me.
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t write. First it was fragments of novels I never finished. Then I forced myself to write short stories, because people said you should when you’re starting out. Then, like half the population of LA, I wrote screenplays.
I finished my first novel in the ‘90s, collected some rejection letters from agents and editors, then gave up fiction to write other things in various graduate programs and jobs—a doctoral dissertation, academic articles, book reviews, policy papers, grant proposals, federal reports, and other scintillating beach reading material.
Over the years I’ve worked as a middle school teacher, a college professor, a business owner, a stay at home mom, a journalist, a columnist, a legislative staffer, and a state government administrator. For most of my working life I haven’t used the Ph.D. I earned in ancient history, but hey, you never know when you might need to read something in Greek or Latin.
I came back to writing fiction in 2014, and worked on Practically Perfect in Every Way in fits and starts for four years. Then I decided to get serious and finish it. In March 2019, I did finish. Then revised it. And revised it again. And started a third novel. And finished that one in March 2020. This blog post explores how I suddenly became so prolific during the past few years, even with a day job.
In June 2020, I learned that Practically Perfect was a finalist in both the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) Rising Star Award, and the Tall Poppy Writers Popstar Writing Contest. I’m currently seeking representation for it.
I’m a member of the WFWA and currently serve as the organization’s workshop chair.