My Story

I’ve been a serious writer for decades. I began writing poetry when I was 14, intrigued by the work of William Carlos Williams and the beautiful nature imagery of Robert Frost.

Much later, I was fortunate enough to study poetry with Dave Smith, who's twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and also with Tim Dekin, who was visiting poet in residence at Northwestern University.

In the 1990’s, I began writing short stories and spent seven years studying with Sandi Wisenberg who was on the faculty of Northwestern’s MFA program. I also studied under Hal Zina Bennett, a well known book doctor. Hal helped me prepare a lyrical prose manuscript entitled, Woman With Her Head on Fire, which I pitched at the Maui Writer’s conference, and was taken for review by a publisher in San Francisco.

Over the years, I’ve attended many writer’s workshops and conferences. This past summer I was honored to attend the Yale Writer’s Conference where I pitched my manuscript, The Secrets That Kept Them, and the book was accepted for representation.

I’ve been a psychotherapist for more than thirty years, specializing in individual and marital therapy. My professional articles have been published in Chicago Life Magazine.

People often ask if the characters in my books or short stories are based on my clients. The answer is NO. My characters are created from my imagination and, if anything, tend to resemble people in my personal or family life.