I was born and raised in North Carolina, spending time each summer at my grandmother's house in the Blue Ridge Mountains. (Maybe you can guess where the idea for the setting of Empty Chairs emerged.) I received my BA in Psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill, and my MSSW from UW-Madison. I've lived in Madison, WI most of my adult life. I greatly enjoyed a lifetime career in mental health / psychotherapy, and retired in 2015. I've always loved to read, once I mastered the difficulty of learning to read as a child. I love fiction with complex and interesting characters who live in my head and heart like beloved family, beautiful, lyrical word-craft, and intriguing, universal stories. I began dabbling with writing during my career, took classes in creative writing from the University of Wisconsin English Department, and Writers'Institute. When I write, I have a seminal idea, then explore where the character takes the story. I'm married, with three grown children, and three grandchildren.
