I drew this in third grade. Wish I could say I’ve always wanted to be an authEr, but I confess that in preschool, I wanted to build brick walls. (Spreading the mortar looked like fun. Go figure. I think I got the idea from a Bugs Bunny cartoon.)

But it wasn’t until my mid-30s that I seriously began to write. My grandfather had dementia after suffering a series of strokes, and we moved him in with us. I was his caretaker. It was the best time in my life, demonstrating my care and love for him, and the worst. Most nights, I cried myself to sleep.

After I would put him to bed, and then the kids, I needed an escape. Stories I’d been building in my head for decades poured out. I write about a grandparent with dementia in both my young adult novel UNDER WATER, and in the SYSTEM SERIES, and that’s definitely not an accident.

I write the kinds of books I want to read – character-driven, exploring what it means to be human, usually with a love story.

And those human experiences can happen at any time, in any place. So I write in many different genres, depending on how the characters speak to me.

I have a supportive husband and four great kids. We live in Southern California, right next door to my parents and down the street from my adorable nephew. Family is at the top of my priority list.

And then comes you, my readers. I wouldn’t have a job I love without you. Please reach out and tell me about you.

Here are some of the many sides of me.