I was born in Philadelphia but grew up primarily in Seattle. I obtained my degree in Literature from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I now live in Denver with my husband and our beautiful baby boy, Cole. In my spare time I work on the endless renovations of our 1922 bungalow.
I was born in Philadelphia but grew up primarily in Seattle. I obtained my degree in Literature from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After bouncing around the country for a while, struggling to pay the rent and write, I settled in Denver with my husband Ben, our Italian Greyhound, Kelby, and the meanest cat on the planet, Oliver. In my spare time I work on the endless renovations of our 1922 bungalow.
Interview
If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?
I would travel to the past, specifically to Jane Austen’s England. I’d love to have tea with her and pick her mind about creating romantic angst.
If you could invite any 5 people to dinner who would you choose?
Jane Austen! Benjamin Franklin, Amelia Earheart, Nora Roberts and Alfred Hitchcock.
One food you would never eat?
Ew! I heard about this on Top Chef: in the Philippines, they fertilize duck eggs so a chick begins to grow then once there’s a beak and the emergence of feathers they boil it alive and serve it as a delicacy! No thanks!
Pet Peeves?
Here’s one I think most writers could relate to—people writing ‘should of’ instead of ‘should’ve’ or ‘should have’. Drives me crazy!
Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.
I think The Gingerbread House touches on several topics readers might relate to including coping with Alzheimer’s and domestic abuse as well as tackling the subject of Eminent Domain where the courts have ruled that towns can take away a person’s home for the sake of a new development resulting in entire neighborhoods filled with beautiful old Queen Anne and Victorian homes being destroyed and that’s something that can never be replaced. (Wow, what a sentence!)
Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
Easy! The birth last year of my son, Cole. At 45, I never thought I’d have children but then there he was! And now I fall deeper in love with that precious little face every single day!
If you could jump in to a book and live in that world, which would it be?
You guessed it, Jane Austen! Pride and Prejudice, Emma, any of those. I suspect though, I’d find it would be a case of ‘nice to place visit, but not so much to live in’. Women had it rough in those days!
What is your dream cast for your book?
Patrick Dempsey and Jennifer Love Hewitt
What is your favorite Quote?
One of my creative writing teachers told us this one by Mark Twain: “Don’t say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream.” Love it!
When you were little, what did you want to be when you "grew up"?
I wanted to be a newspaper reporter. But when I started writing the articles I felt confined by the facts! I wanted to embellish the stories and create my own endings.
How did you know you should become an author?
I found there was nothing I’d rather do, even if I never ‘made it’. I just had to.
What's the best advice anyone has ever given you?
It was from my grandmother who was also a writer. In response to my dismay at not being able to write as much as I wanted to because of my day job she said to not worry, that I’m writing all the time in the back of my head. It’s true! It’s really a way of looking at the world and at life, constantly trying to capture experiences and emotions in just the right words.
You have won one million dollars what is the first thing that you would buy?
A mini Cooper for my husband complete with racing stripe. It’s his favorite!
What do you do in your free time?
My husband and I bought a rundown bungalow that was built in 1922 five years ago. Ever since then we’ve been pecking away at many renovation projects—definitely a work in progress! But very satisfying.
How did you celebrate the sale of your first book?
I don’t know if you’d call it a celebration but the first thing I did was sit at my desk at work and just cry for five solid minutes. (I did that for the second book too—as I probably will for my third!)
What is your guilty pleasure?
I love reality competition TV shows like Top Chef or Project Runway. I think it has something to do with witnessing true, non-scripted emotion.
Foods you wish you could and never gain a pound:
French fries, ice cream, tiramisu, fettuccini Alfredo, filet mignon
Words you love:
kumquat, babaganush, Cole, crimson, salamander
Night owl, or early bird?
Early bird
Chocolate or Vanilla?
Choc!
Regular or Diet?
Regular
Pizza or Pasta?
Pasta
Summer or Winter?
Summer
Beach or Pool?
Beach
Shoes or Sandals?
Sandals
After a tumultuous past, Greta Kendall has focused mainly on her bridal shop, located on the first floor of her beloved Queen Anne Victorian near Aspen. For two years she's fought to save her house from Stephanie Harwood of Harwood Development, who is intent on destroying her home to build a new mall. But now Greta's running out of time. The town council is about to approve the final plans for the mall.
When Gray Daniels walks into her shop, Greta is immediately attracted to his rugged good looks and midnight blue eyes—until she learns he's Stephanie Harwood's fiancé. She's furious to find they've tricked her into a publicity stunt aimed at garnering support for the mall. So now her little war has a new front: Gray Daniels. If only she could forget those striking blue eyes….
A knock on the door brings a return of old danger, and Greta must now put aside her anguish over the house to fight for her life. Will she succumb to the long-accustomed role of victim or can she overcome her paralyzing fear to emerge the resilient survivor she longs to be—and in the process learn if she’s finally free to love again?
Giveaway Details
1 copy of The Gingerbread House
Open to US only
Ends 3/15/13
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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