I was very fortunate to grow up in Chester County outside Philadelphia at a time when there were fields with cows, woods with streams, and barns with hay to play in. My sister and I spent a lot of time making up stories and games. Being two years older, I think I probably told her what to do most of the time.

When I was twelve, my parents took us to Europe for a year. My father, who was a school teacher, and my mother taught us while we wandered from Scandinavia to Sicily. I missed seventh grade (hooray!). Instead of putting on my first silk stockings and thinking about boys, I read books and played with dolls. I also discovered the world was a bigger and far more interesting place than I had known before. We saw how people must have lived in Pompeii, we saw gypsy caravans, and villagers cooking dinner over fires outside their front doors. Ever since, I’ve been curious about people in other parts of the world.

I went to the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. In eighth grade I had a young English teacher who liked the stories I wrote and encouraged me. After high school, I spent four years at Vassar College, graduating in 1973 with a major in Drama.

Over the years, I’ve worked as a bookseller, antique jewelry appraiser, and costumed guide in Philadelphia. After I was married and had two wonderful boys, I worked for ten years as a nursery school teacher in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It was the last job I ever thought I’d do, but I loved every minute of it. Being around children, my own and at nursery school, helped give me ideas for my first books.

Now I’m a writer living on the coast of Maine. The state’s motto is “the way life should be” – and it’s true. Maine is a great place to live. When I’m not walking the dog or providing a lap for the cat, I like to bake, garden, or find something to read in my local library. When I can, I love to travel – almost anywhere! During the winter, I try to get to a city where I can go to the theater, ballet, and art museums.

When I’m working on a story, I try to write every morning, five days a week. It doesn’t always happen. Research can take place any old time of the day or night. There are trips to the library, emails, and phone calls to make. But when I’m in the writing stage of a nonfiction book, or when I’m writing fiction, I try hard to make it a habit to sit at my desk every morning.

Currently, I’m working on a mystery story for adults. We’ll see what happens!