Background

In Harps & Harmonicas a character says "One does not become a writer. One either is or one isn't." And that certainly was the case for me.

I wrote my first piece of fiction when I was in 4th grade. It was a short story - a birthday present for my Grandmother who traveled a lot. She always talked about which airlines she liked and which ones she didn't. So I wrote a story about an old lady who befriends airplanes with the characteristics my Grandmother described - slow, rude etc. I loved the process of creating the story and the characters and knew at that moment I was going to be a writer. But when I realized that most fiction writers don't get regular paychecks, I headed for the world of advertising. For 18 years I wrote TV and radio commericals, print ads, brochures, web pages and more for a wide variety of clients.

Then one day I heard a funny story that shaped itself into a play in my head, and Who's Margaret? was born. Two minutes into the first reading of the play, I heard the audience laugh, and I quit advertising to concentrate on playwrighting fulltime.

So here I am. Several years, three full-lengths plays, a bunch of short plays and a slew of awards, later. Along the way I joined The Dramatists Guild of America, Inc. and The Playwright/Director Lab at Burning Coal Theatre in Raleigh.

In addition to mainstream theatre, I have written short plays to coordinate with the curriculum of kindergarten through 4th graders, one-acts for middle school students and dramas that have been used in church services.

Growing up in the Marine Corps, home was a base somewhere on the East Coast. But my childhood friends - Karen, Dwight and Dick - were always there.  Today I am based in Richmond, Virginia.