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 recently moved to Rhode Island, where now, in addition to writing, I teach English at the Rhode Island School of Design--a great place to share my love of both 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 I’ve begun. 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, and is available for order from Amazon.com.

I’ve posted an excerpt from Remember Me. I hope you enjoy it!

Jordan’s story, Believe in Me, will be published in January 2011.

                                                                                     Best,

                                                                Laura