Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I now live in Hood River, Oregon, which is located on the south bank of the Columbia River near Mount Hood. I’ve been a freelance writer for more than fifteen years, writing about travel, outdoor recreation and small business for various online and print media outlets. My work has appeared with PsychologyToday.com, The Oregonian, Travel Oregon, and Creative Non-Fiction Magazine. 

After years of writing about other people and places, I began some stories about my own life. I wanted to capture the hilarity and heartbreak of my childhood in a big Irish Catholic family and, specifically, the impact my sister Margaret had on me. Her autism, which makes it difficult for her to communicate, is the focal point of my memoir, How to be a Sister, which was published by The Experiment, an independent press. How to be a Sister was named an Indie Next by IndieBound and was chosen as a Target Book of the Month and a Kindle Book of the Month.

A few years ago, I purchased a package of Carniolan honeybees and entered the world of backyard beekeeping. I’m currently enrolled in the Master Beekeeper Apprentice Program with the Oregon State University Extension Service. My interest in these fascinating pollinators led me to my first attempt at fiction. My debut novel, The Music of Bees, is forthcoming from Dutton and will be published in April 2021.

My husband and I share our home with a fearless calico cat, a passionate Baja mutt and sixty thousand honeybees, give or take.