I've always been hungry for words. I need a book, a newspaper, a magazine. For lack of those I'll read the back of a cereal box, the label on a bottle of shampoo. I can't drive or houseclean without voices spilling stories into my ears.

In the Long Ago, I worked many jobs. I worked as a Burger King drive-thru order taker, a telemarketer, a drugstore cashier, a banquet server, a secretary, a receptionist, a restaurant hostess, an editorial assistant, a housecleaner, a public relations specialist, a fact checker, a research editor, a reporter, a newspaper editor, and more.

Always, I looked for the words. Words on nametags, words on French fry cartons, words on paper bags and plastic bags, on cash registers and computer screens and menu boards, words spoken through drive-thru windows, over landlines, down checkout lines, across kitchens and banquet halls and newsrooms.

Today I split my writing time between editing the micro-journal Five Minutes, creative pursuits, and professional projects. I lead a monthly writing workshop, Carrot Cake Writers, and am a member of two additional, occasional workshops. I’m also a graduate of Grub Street’s Novel Generator program, led by Marjan Kamali.

When not writing, I readreadread, help run a small nonprofit called The Clothing Connection, volunteer with the Salem Literary Festival, hike with my dog, nap with my cat, and goof off with my family and friends.