I’m a California native who lives and writes in the mountains of Northern California. I’ve loved nature, the outdoors, hiking, and the ocean since I was a little girl, discovering that love while doing those things with my parents and three siblings. My parents believed in introducing their children to as much of the world as they could, and growing up in Los Angeles enabled them to do just that. Weekends were spent going to the beach, to the mountains for a hike, to cultural events in downtown Los Angeles, and to museums. One of my favorite places to go as a child was the Huntington Library, where they had a room full of original books. I loved that room, the smell of the polished wood, the hushed voices of people reverently taking in the experience of these old texts, being a participant in this sacred space for an hour or so. I remember being captivated by the copy of the Gutenberg Bible on display under glass, and some of the other old religious texts that had been carefully illustrated by the monks. I’m sure this is the genesis of my novel, The Herbarium, about another sacred text that changes the world profoundly and permanently.

I always wrote, whether it was my award-winning poem in second grade, or a play I wrote in junior high. I went to college and earned a degree in English, eager to begin my career as a writer. Instead, I moved to Silicon Valley and began my career as a technical writer, using my off-hours to write fiction. When the lure of high tech faded, I followed another one of my passions, the desire to understand how we think and feel and react, and why we are who we are. So I earned a Master’s degree in psychology, left technical writing behind, and have been a practicing therapist ever since.

My ongoing curiosity about what makes us “tick,” along with the wonderful people I’ve worked with over the years, have given me an understanding of why we do what we do, and how we form and sustain or ruin our relationships. This knowledge and insight began to inform my writing. A number of years ago, I decided that it was time to get serious about my fiction, and with the push of a good friend, took a writing class at Stanford. I loved it, and took more classes, and ended up with a wonderful teacher who taught me how to complete, not just begin, my novels.

I live with my husband and two delightfully spoiled cats in the mountains halfway between Silicon Valley and the Pacific Ocean, where I hike, interact with nature, read good books, and write.