2024 Author Expo Author

I live in Venice, FL, and am here at the festival with my debut novel, Vermilion Sunrise, a YA science fiction adventure story. Stranded on an island surrounded by unknown seas, a group of teenagers fight to establish the first human colony on a distant planet.

I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. Fortunately, my parents didn’t make me choose between being a literature kid or a science kid, so I became both. I majored in English at Rice University and earned a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin. I've had a somewhat unusual array of jobs—from lawyer to swim coach to teacher. As an instructor, I've taught high school, junior high, college, and law school.

I am a determined optimist who loves adventures big and small, especially those taken with my husband and two sons. During my childhood, a "perfect day" meant time swimming and time curled up with a good book. Decades later, that's still a perfect day!