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I was born and raised in Orchard Park, New York, in what was then a small farming community, but what you'd now have to call a suburb (there are thankfully still a few farms – including the land my family farmed for years) of Buffalo, New York. I snuck off whenever I could with one of my Nancy Drew books, or one of my C.S. Lewis tales, and be transported into another world by the words of the author. This began my love of reading, learning, and finally, writing. Following graduation from high school, I went to 
Obviously, I was quite wrong about leaving an exciting life behind, because I found an even more fulfilling life here in Buffalo. I worked at a prominent law firm before receiving an appointment as an assistant to New York State Supreme Court Judge Donna Siwek. She's one of the most intelligent and fair-minded judges on the bench, and she was kind enough to introduce me to my smart, handsome and supremely tolerant husband, Peter. I rode horses, raced sailboats, worked with the Junior League and enjoyed all of the many joys and entertainments that the Buffalo area has to offer. Peter and I married, and I became pregnant soon afterwards. Together we made the decision that I would give up my job and stay home with the children. This decision was not made lightly. I had worked since I was 12 years old, and I was nervous about the change, especially considering the day-to-day excitement of Court, and the exceptional people I worked with.
The freedom of being at home with the girls, though, has allowed me to pursue a writing career which I have always dreamed of. I began writing articles for local publications, and started my first book. For this opportunity, I can't thank Peter enough. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be living the life I'm living, with beautiful children, a lovely home, and the ability to pursue my dreams. My family is so wonderful... I can't now imagine life without them.I’ve been so pleased with the work, and the writing. New ideas for books are constantly occurring to me, and, in addition to taking care of two children in diapers, it’s what I do more than anything else. I spend many hours during the day at a makeshift office which consists of an armoire in the area between the kitchen and living room. It’s a vantage point from which I can work and also make sure the girls are behaving themselves.
I must say that I just adore writing. After my beautiful family, it’s what I love best. I would write for hours and hours if I had the opportunity. As it is, I try to squeeze in a bit of writing while the girls are awake (but this is very difficult). I steal the other hours early in the morning before the girls get up, on the rare afternoon when they take their naps simultaneously, and a little while after they’ve gone to bed for the night.
I look forward to many years of creating characters in my fiction that please and entertain my readers, putting knowledge into a readable form in my magazine articles, and doing proper research in order to continue writing non-fiction. If I can do it nearly as well as the many, many writers that I have enjoyed and looked up to throughout the years, it will make all of the hard work worthwhile.
