Bio
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Rural Life
I grew up in California and attended college at UCDavis (B.A.), UCBerkeley (Teaching Certification), and UCSanta Barbara (MRS). For twelve years I lived in a small, rural town where a creek ran by close to the house and we had two acres of fruit trees. I had no siblings for six years, and I entertained myself making up stories where the good guy got the bad guy and also the girl. Those imaginary stories continued even after we moved into the city across the Bay from San Francisco.
I was attending UC Santa Barbara when I met my husband to be. He was originally from Michigan, and two years after our wedding, we moved there so he could finish his degree at Western Michigan. That was supposed to be a short-term move (just a couple years), I won’t tell you how many years we’ve lived in Michigan, but we now have grown children and grown granddaughters.
I haven’t regretted the move. Michigan is a beautiful state, and for years I was once again living in a rural community. What a perfect location for a romance writer, and what a neat place to plot a mystery with a lot of suspense. (Yes, there are some similarities between the real Climax and my imaginary Zenith in The Crows, As the Crow Flies, Eat Crow and Die, Eye of the Crow, and Something to Crow About, but the events and people in those stories are definitely fictional.)
Connections with Animals
I fell in love with the Rhodesian Ridgeback the first time I saw one at a dog show. I love their temperament, their intelligence, and their personalities. Over the years I’ve owned several: It seemed natural to use a Ridgeback in my “Crows” books. We’ve also owned hunting dogs (my husband’s), German Shepherds, and now a poodle.
When we lived in the country, we owned horses and raised (at various times) chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs, goats, and even one steer. I would say we also owned many cats, but I think they owned us.
Finding Inspiration
When my husband purchased a 32′ cruiser, we moved closer to Lake Michigan so we could enjoy the boat during Michigan’s warm months. We also decided to spend our winters in Florida, not far from the Gulf Coast. Both locations fed my love of being near water and provided lots of ideas for romances and mysteries.
We split our year at those two locations for two decades, until we decided we wanted to be closer to our son and daughter and two granddaughters. (But I still miss those warm, Florida winters.)
Answering the Big Questions
Whether I’m writing or reading a romance, a mystery, or a combination of the two, I want a satisfying ending (girl gets guy and/or good guys get bad guys). For my books, I’m probably going to include an animal or two and there’s a good chance the characters will live in the country, the mountains, or near water. I’ve often used Michigan and California as settings, but Florida is going to show up in a future book
I’m sometimes asked if the characters in my books are based on me or someone I know. My answer is: Maybe bits and pieces, but my protagonists are always braver and smarter than I am (along with younger) and the antagonists are always nastier than the people I’ve known.