I’m a Colorado lifer but a New England native—daughter of a firefighter, youngest of seven—and can still speak with a Boston accent on request. Two of my three kids were born in Texas, which I think gives them street cred. My life has spanned four states and three time zones; Colorado and its mountain time is my favorite.
Life as work
I have a well-worn degree in journalism. I know how to dig, to find the story, and to streamline a message to its essentials. Over the years I’ve developed, written, edited, and formatted copy for corporations large and small, custom publishers, entrepreneurs, and national magazines. My clients’ locations range from international to hyper-local.
My specializations have evolved. Before the magazine industry dissolved I wrote health, parenting, and lifestyle stories for national print magazines. Today I write for national brands, websites, corporations, and nonprofits. In the labor-of-love category, for a decade I published a twice-yearly newsletter for fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House” series.
I am the author of WORST-KEPT SECRET and FINDING THE EDDY, novels in the new-adult category of women’s fiction, which I published as Sienna Cash, as well as LAND OF LAURA, a travel series geared to families headed to the homesites of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Personally
I’m mom to three offspring, a dog, and cats. And a dog (also a Texan), and cats. Things I love: India Pale Ales, embarrassing my kids, proper use of en-dashes, really good fries, the feel of a bike, exceptional dialogue, the perfect song, and making a mess in the kitchen. I’m forever working on my next novel and my memoir about growing up in East Dedham, Massachusetts.
I enjoy conversations with smart people who disagree with me.
My favorite writers vary but today they are Mhairi McFarland, Aaron Sorkin, John McPhee, Anne Tyler, Judy Blume, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Ellen Conford, and Rainbow Rowell. I adore young-adult novels and will read them forever.
I don’t have any tattoos, but that won’t be true forever. I now have a tattoo. It’s related to both writing and my kids, but that’s not obvious. I kind of like that.
I love to be outside. Biking or hiking in the mountains reminds me to stay happy. Whenever I finish a big project, more often than not I celebrate on two wheels via Fort Collins’ Spring Creek or Poudre Trail. Or I might just traipse through Larimer County Open Space in my hiking shoes.
What’s the story?
That’s my story. My question is: What’s yours?