I live in Portland, Maine, with my husband Stephen (architect, photographer, and food writer) and our amazingly fabulous cats Betty and Cyrus. When I’m not writing, I usually can be found with my head in a book. I try to read widely; still, I do play favorites with authors such as Peter Ackroyd and Patrick McGrath.
I was born and grew up in the Bronx and later lived in Brooklyn and Manhattan. I earned an undergraduate and graduate degree in English Literature at New York University before going on to work for about twelve years as an editor in publishing and packaging at Ballantine Books, Daniel Weiss Associates, Inc., and Kensington Publishing Corporation. Mostly I developed, acquired and edited projects, usually fiction, in Adult, Young Adult, and Middle Grade categories.
In 1996, I moved to Boston and began freelance editing, ghost writing, and reviewing manuscripts. I was a can-do wordsmith for hire, grinding out books on everything from the importance of shark liver oil in one’s diet to feng shui for the amateur; I also worked on what seemed like a million Young Adult series installments. Eventually I decided I'd rather work on my own projects so I made a proposal to my old friend and colleague John Scognamiglio at Kensington. After a couple of false starts he signed me up to write LIVING SINGLE, which was published in 2002 (and was re-issued this year!) Since then I've been writing one novel a year, and I've also contributed novellas to four collections John put together.
In terms of life outside reading and writing, Stephen and I recently updated an 1865 brick townhouse in downtown Portland and we love living in this old seaside town. We entertain a good bit -- Stephen cooks, I set a nice table and clean up afterwards. We’re happy to live in an area so full of people who support the arts. Portland itself is alive with theatre and music, and it's the home of several museums, including the impressive Portland Museum of Art, and good independent bookstores catering to serious readers such as Longfellow Books.
What’s new? Well, after finishing a novella earlier this year, I’m now working on a novel that takes place in and around Ogunquit, Maine, as have several of my books. This story, much like my latest, THE SUMMER EVERYTHING CHANGED, also revolves around mothers and teenaged daughters. In this as-yet-untitled novel, moms Adelaide and Cindy own and operate a store devoted to quilts and quilting. Their respective sixteen-year old daughters, Cordelia and Sarah, are best friends and help out at the store during summer, the busiest time of year. Life is pretty idyllic until one of the girls – I won’t say who – becomes pregnant. Needless to say, her announcement sends shock waves through the two families, dramatically altering relationships and setting in motion a future no one – especially not the young mother-to-be – had ever dreamed possible. Like many of my earlier novels, this one walks a fine line between some sad and difficult realities and the joys that can be found – surprisingly – hidden within them. Wish me luck!
