In writing my first novel, The Lines Between Us, I returned to an early love, Spanish literature and history, which I studied in graduate school. The idea of setting part of my novel in seventeenth-century Spain, their Golden Age of literature, offered me the chance to explore a time and place with which many readers are unfamiliar. Study of this subject matter, and writing a novel, however, were hardly a straight shot.
Deciding that academia was not for me, I abandoned my dissertation, got an MBA, and worked in hospital administration for some years. I then took a break to start my novel, only to later put it aside to teach English as a Second Language to adults. Getting to know hundreds of students from dozens of countries, as we reflected together on language and culture, was an experience for which I will always be grateful.
Almost twenty years after I had started my novel, my sister and I discovered some family papers. We were already aware of certain family secrets, but the documents provided more mystery than explanation. Supported by a writing group that met twice a month, I returned to my novel, exploring the topic of what we choose to tell those whom we most love, and how those decisions can have repercussions for generations to come.
I have been lucky to be involved with the same monthly book group, sharing our enchantment with literature, for over thirty years. I spread my passion for books by volunteering as the storytime lady for a local Head Start preschool. I live in Oakland, California with my husband, Arthur, where we are fortunate to frequently spend time with our children and grandchildren.
I am member of Paper Lantern Writers, an author collective, the Historical Novel Society, and the California Writers Club.