Harley-Davidson motorcycles are prominent in the Stella Crown mysteries. Why? I am weary of bikers always being portrayed as villains. In our years of biking, my husband Steve and I found "bad" bikers to be few and far between. As far as we know, none of the people we rode with finance a string of brothels, produce methamphetamines, or publish hard-core porn. They are simply nice folks who love the feel of the wind in their hair and the rumble of their bikes in their ears.

I received my bachelor's degree in theater from Goshen College in northern Indiana (1991) and interned at the Actors' Theater of Louisville in Kentucky (1994-1995). During the following years I worked as a professional stage manager in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, freelancing with numerous companies as well as serving as resident stage manager at Cheltenham Center for the Arts and Lantern Theater. I have also lived in Kansas, Florida, and Illinois, but most recently landed in Ohio.

When not at my computer or chasing after my children, I love to cook new foods (a hobby Steve appreciates), read anything from mysteries to NEWSWEEK to my alma maters' newsletters, or take long walks between the soy bean, corn, and tomato fields that surround our turn-of-the-century farmhouse.