Jul 7th 21
I was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on October 1, 1961. Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, I was influenced by the Gothic romance writers of the day: Dorothy Eden, Victoria Holt, Virginia Coffman and many others. I was obsessed with the Dark Shadows original series – a Gothic soap opera that ran from 1966 to 1971. Every weekday at three-fifteen, I hurried home from elementary school just in time to see the credits roll. Fortunately, I was able to watch the entire program during the summer months and now have every episode on DVD.
I was a big fan of Vincent Price, Christopher Plummer and Boris Karloff. In particular, movies made from the novels of Edgar Allan Poe, of whom I’m also a fan. One of my best memories of childhood was the pajama parties I had with my mother every Saturday night when we watched those movies in a dark living room with just the flicker of the television screen. I was an only child – very shy and introverted so I didn’t have many friends. Most children my age wanted to visit the playground. I wanted to visit the cemetery. I have always loved animals. There is a black cat featured in every book I write, in honor of my own precious Boo, who passed away in 2013.
I've been married to the same wonderful Icelandic man for twenty years and have one wonderful son from a previous marriage and a wonderful daughter-in-law.
As an American Anglophile with Scottish and Irish ancestry, I have set my last three books in England. Though I've tried very hard to familiarize myself with British words, expressions, customs and locations, I hope I will be forgiven if I've gotten anything wrong.
In addition to writing, I am also a voracious reader and fan of many authors writing Gothic books today.