Hello! Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself. 

I was born and raised in South Florida and now make my home in Georgia with my husband, a growing stack of to-be-read books, and a trail of unfinished New York Times crossword puzzles. I love movies, boxers—the breed, not the pugilists—long walks, rainy days, the University of Florida Gators, and all things chocolate. I am a former English teacher who left the classroom to raise our daughter and son, and found a new career as a freelance writer and copyeditor. My articles and essays have appeared in The Boston Globe, Woman’s World Magazine, Yahoo News and Examiner.com. My debut novel, Ashes, is the 2019 winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Historical Fiction, and the 2019 New Apple Summer E-Book Awards Solo Medalist winner for Historical Fiction.

Ashes - Writing and publishing Ashes fulfilled a long-time dream; I had been carrying around the idea of this book in my head for forty years. Ashes chronicles one family’s escape from the horrors of a Russian pogrom to the tenements of New York City, and the events that link them to the tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. This revealing immigrant’s tale is deeply rooted in my family’s history, and reflects the experiences of my beloved grandparents, great aunts, and great uncles, all of whom labored in the garment industry in the early years of the twentieth century. Ashes pays tribute to these family members, and all those who toiled in the sweatshops of New York City hoping for a better life in America. 

In Freedom’s Light - Family is everything to me, and like Ashes, my second novel, In Freedom’s Light, explores historical events and their impact on the bonds of family and friends. Set against the background of eighteenth and nineteenth century Charleston and Philadelphia, In Freedom’s Light follows three generations of the unique and unforgettable Amselem family. Filled with their joys and sorrows, hopes and disappointments, it is also a tale of the power of love and friendship. Above all, it is an affirmation of family beyond race and bloodlines, and the strength of the bonds and traditions that unite us. 

Thanks for stopping by. Happy reading!