I was born in New York City and grew up there and in Western Massachusetts. I received my undergraduate degree and my M.A. in art history. Since graduate school I've worked as a museum lecturer and have taught art, art history, and French. My family and I now live in Rhode Island, where, in addition to writing, I teach English at the Rhode Island School of Design--a great place to share my love of art and fiction.

I began writing my first romance while pursuing my master's degree. My first novel, Ride a Dark Horse, filled most of a spiral bound notebook. I was running out of pages when my wonderful husband presented me with a laptop for my birthday. It didn't take long for me to realize I far preferred writing love stories to cranking out term papers!

Both Ride a Dark Horse and Chance Meeting, my second novel, are set in a world I've always loved…the world of horses and professional show jumping. Growing up in Massachusetts, I competed in horse shows and later spent summers working at stables. Though I've had to take a break from riding (due to lack of time to devote to a horse) writing about the amazing bond between horses and the humans who work with them, care for them and love them is immensely satisfying.

From horses to seahorses. One of my favorite heroes as a child was Jacques Cousteau. For years I dreamed of being the female version of this incredible scientist/naturalist/explorer. I took up scuba diving and when I wasn't riding horses I was swimming and eventually became an avid open water swimmer. One of my proudest accomplishments was competing in the Chesapeake Bay Swim, a four-mile swim that follows the span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. (See photo below)

Although I never fulfilled my fantasy of becoming a female Jacques Cousteau, I decided to write a romance in which I could pay my respects to the wonders of the ocean. My heroine in Night Swimming is Dr. Lily Banyon, a scientist committed to preserving the beauty of the oceans' reefs. After years of marine exploration, Lily finds herself assigned to a reef study in Coral Beach, Florida, her old hometown. There she is forced to confront her childhood nemesis, Sean McDermott, who just happens to be the town's mayor.

I adored writing Night Swimming and the dual challenge of describing the marine world Lily loves so much, and of shaping Lily's character. She’s fascinating woman: strong, intelligent, and completely committed to her work. She's definitely not looking to fall in love--especially not with the too-handsome-for-his-own-good Sean McDermott. Unfortunately, Lily finds her defenses crumbling when Sean takes her in his arms. Read Night Swimming and let me know what you think!

In Your Eyes tells the story of Alex Miller. Readers may remember him from Ride a Dark Horse. I found myself trying to imagine what kind of woman would be able to melt the icy layer protecting Alex’s heart. It took me a while, but I finally found someone special enough for him. I hope you'll like Gen Monaghan as much as I do. A gifted artist, she’s a woman who's happy to walk a different path. Jaded Alex Miller finds her irresistible. Now he just has to convince Gen that he's the man for her.

As the only girl in my family I’ve always been interested in sisters--how they fight, compete, and support each other. That was the kernel of the idea for the Rosewood Trilogy. The series is about three sisters, Jordan, Margot, and Jade Radcliffe, and how they come together to save the horse breeding farm and magnificent Virginia estate that’s been in their family for generations.

Margot’s story is the first book. It’s entitled Remember Me. Margot is the middle sister, and when we meet her she’s an unhappy and impetuous teen, flooded with hormones and the craziness of her first serious crush. Unfortunately, the person she’s fallen for isn’t just some callow youth but her father’s horse trainer: Travis Maher.

At a family party, Margot suffers in short order devastating rejections from the two most important men in her life: Travis and her father. Hurt and convinced there’s no place for her at Rosewood, she runs away.

Eight years later Margot has forged a successful career as a fashion model. But when she receives a call from her older sister Jordan with the news that her father and stepmother have been critically injured in a plane crash, she returns to Rosewood, a place she never expected to see again. Once there, Margot discovers that in order to save her family’s horse breeding farm she’ll need the help of Travis Maher, the one man she’s never been able to forget.

Believe in Me, is Jordan Radcliffe’s story. The book begins with Jordan struggling to save her marriage after discovering that her husband, Richard, was unfaithful while she was pregnant with their third child.

Unfortunately her efforts are in vain and a devastated Jordan returns to her family home, Rosewood, with her three young children, where she attempts to rebuild her life. No easy task, as anyone who remotely connected with divorce knows. Slowly, Jordan creates a life for her children at Rosewood. She also creates a mask of calm serenity for herself that effectively hides the heartache she still suffers. 

Determined to be productive, Jordan revitalizes the career as an interior designer that she’d set aside when she became pregnant with her first child. At the house of her first potential client, she meets Owen Gage, an architect and designer, who specializes in restoring historical homes.

Naturally Jordan, who loves architecture and old homes, has heard of Owen. And if he were a stooped, seventy year-old fogey, she’d probably like him just fine. But Owen Gage happens to be handsome, urbane, and charming…exactly what Jordan most dislikes in a man these days. Unfortunately she feels an undeniable attraction for Owen. Given the fragile state of her heart, she does her best to ignore it.

Yet when Owen, who himself is wary of any romantic involvement, offers her an interior decorating job that she badly wants, she accepts the commission even though it will entail working alongside him every day. Very soon Jordan is forced to recognize that Owen may be the one man who can heal her broken heart—if she has the courage to open it to love again.

I’m now finishing Jade’s story, which is entitled Trouble Me, and if you go to the future releases page, you’ll get a description of her story as well as a short excerpt. Trouble Me will be released in January 2012.

I’ve had such fun writing about Margot, Jordan, and Jade; it will be hard to say good-bye to three such great heroines and the men they love…I hope you’ll enjoy reading their stories. Do let me know what you think!