My Writing Background

I’ve loved to read since I was a little girl, and fell in love with mysteries at the age of six when I was handed The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene. I loved Nancy Drew and her adventures and quickly discovered Trixie Belden, the Three Investigators, and other thrilling mysteries. Then Sherlock Holmes, the stories of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers took over my reading list. Every week, a dozen books went home from the library and I’d spend all my free time trying to figure out “whodunnit.”

My love of reading led to majoring in English Literature with a minor in Drama. I’d fallen in love with Shakespeare when I was 12 and that influenced my academic choices heavily. I was still reading mysteries outside of school, but started reading more 16th and 17th century works for my studies.

Eventually I earned my Ph.D. in English with the idea of teaching Shakespeare and then taught at community colleges and universities for about 15 years before I decided I wanted to do something else. I still love my academic topics, but the world of the university wasn’t for me any longer. I switched to freelance consulting in topics that interested me, becoming skilled in editing, graphic design, website design and more.

Reader to Writer

During my dissertation I thought of a great idea for a mystery book, but had no time to pursue it. The idea, however, wouldn’t go away. I soon had pages of notes on that story and a dozen more book ideas, all mysteries.

Now I’m pursuing what I love––working freelance in creative projects that excite me and writing mysteries.

I wrote my first short story in 2019 for submission to an anthology––and was thrilled when it was accepted. “The Crossing” was published in March of 2020 in the San Diego Sisters in Crime anthology Crossing Borders (edited by Lisa Brackmann and Matt Coyle, Down and Out Books).

Shortly afterwards, my second short story was accepted into another anthology. In October of 2020, “California Fold’em” appeared in California Scheming from Bouchercon (edited by Art Taylor).

As other stories are published, I’ll add them to this site so check out the list. Hopefully it has grown.

My novels? They are in progress. I have several projects at different levels of completion including two in revision. I belong to a read and critique group through the local chapter of Sisters in Crime which helps tremendously.