Biography

I have enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory of knowing I had a “literary gift” was as a third grader, when I wrote and illustrated a story about a child who stumbled upon a bird’s nest and decided to nurture the orphaned chickadee until its mother returned. I can’t recall whether the story had a happy ending or not, but my teacher Mrs. Bennett (bless her heart) was suitably impressed and decreed right then and there that I would someday become a writer.

During the summers as a teenager, I preferred the sticky discomfort of my bedroom to hanging outdoors with friends. I would lock myself away for hours, churning out endless short stories and surfacing only for quick meals, much to the chagrin of my parents and siblings who labeled me a certifiable recluse. (I suspect they seriously considered having me committed on more than one occasion.)

I received a B.A. in English from the University of Maryland College Park, with a minor in creative writing. As a former freelance writer, my articles were featured in various magazines, Web sites, and newspapers including the Baltimore Afro-American and Prince George’s Journal. I did a brief stint as a third grade teacher at a private school in Washington, D.C., a gig requiring the patience of Job! I now live in San Antonio, Texas with my wonderfully supportive husband and our two young children. When I’m not tending to their incessant needs, I can be found with my nose buried in a book or sitting at the computer working on a novel—and sweating over a deadline.

Whether it’s romantic suspense or a contemporary love story, I enjoy weaving tales that make readers sigh in poignant recollection of an old flame, or cause sheer adrenaline to pump through their veins until the very end when the villain is revealed and dispensed with—by the hero or heroine, it doesn’t matter. (I believe in equal opportunity butt-kicking!) I simply love telling a good story that readers will enjoy and remember for years to come. Becoming published is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Since the publication of my debut novel in 2002, I have been nominated for two Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards and nine Emma Awards, and have won the Romance in Color Reviewers’ Choice Awards for New Author of the Year and Romantic Suspense of the Year. Very exciting stuff!