About Me

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My literary taste runs the gamut from Shakespeare, Poe, and Austen, to Elizabeth Lowell, Toni Morrison, and Jo Nesbo. Though I often read tales that plumb the inner demons of tortured souls, I prefer to write lighter books that my readers can have fun with.

Growing up, my sister and I lived next door to three French girls, who were like sisters to us. It was our friendship that gave me the idea of writing a book series about a group of five girls, plus the wonderful time I spent in Santa Barbara in my 20s.

Set in Santa Barbara, the Cota Club books tell the stories of each of the five friends and reflect the genres that fit each of the characters. That’s why Kristi’s story in Love and Money is a mystery, whereas Carla’s story in The Offering is romantic suspense. Tate’s story in Love and Hate is a thriller. I don’t know yet about Izzy’s, but Gwen’s will turn to the world of the supernatural.

Devil in the White City (2003) Erik Larson

The Devil in the White CityThe Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An exhaustive tale of what went into the making of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, interwoven with the disturbing activities of one Mr. H. Holmes (born Herman Webster Mudgett), who was a fraudster and mass murderer that used the events of the Expo to help facilitate his activities. I enjoyed Larson's dynamic style, though I admit I did start to skim over some of the details leading up to the Expo, since the minutiae were a bit too much for me. I'd never heard of H. Holmes, and Larson did a good job conveying how creepy and deadly the guy was.

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