Hello, and welcome to my website! Here’s a bit about me:

I grew up in Glencoe, Illinois. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, I obtained a Master’s in Art History at the University of Chicago. I also admit to a law degree and a stint as a PhD student in philosophy. I arrived in Seattle in 1996, took one look at all the coffee shops full of folks in hiking boots reading books and thought: What’s not to like? I managed a large and cacophonous household while writing constantly, but especially during nap time. My five children are now card-carrying adults who wear hiking boots and read books unprompted, so I count that as a success. Now that I’m an empty-nester, I like to read, hike, swim, travel with my husband, and… write. Still.

My first novel, Seven Blackbirds, was published in 2008, and my second, Songs My Mother Taught Me, will come out in March 2025. But I’m not just a Serious Novelist. At some point along the way, there, I became an Accidental Humorist. It just started bubbling up, and—in those youthful days of the internet—resulted in my becoming the most-subscribed female published author on a very large platform. So after a while, I tied on my thinking cap, started my own website, and took the party over there. My blog, “Mother’s Day Out,” returns after a hiatus. To celebrate I am publishing “Eat Pray Drive: Vintage Mother’s Day Out.” Aficionados and newcomers alike will enjoy this compilation of the rollicking escapades of those earliest years. They’re no longer available online, but I’ve reposted the popular article that started it all, “Why Women Write,” to whet your appetites. “Eat Pray Drive” will come out in Fall 2025.

Thanks for visiting. Happy reading!