Raised on equal parts Nancy Drew and Woody Guthrie, I grew up in the Chicago area. I will continue to consider The Secret of Shadow Ranch to be one of my biggest literary influences until the day I die. I began writing my first chapter book, The Lost Tomb, (still currently unpublished) at age nine. Mystery novels, to this day, continue to enthrall me.
I moved to New York City in 2014 to become an actor. After spending four years at New York University studying drama, I realized that my love of storytelling had led me in a different direction completely. During my last year of college I began writing scripts. Then, beginning in 2019, I wrote, produced, and co-hosted a paranormal/comedy podcast called, Are You Scared Yet.
As it did for many, the pandemic forced me to take stock of what was most important. I refocused on writing. Between open-to-close shifts at a bar, I attended (over zoom) courses through Catapult and Sackett Street and dove head first into personal essay and memoir. I am currently writing a novel based on a true story from my hometown.
On the rare occasion that I’m not home wrapped in a blanket with a cup of tea, you can usually find me lost in the stacks at Strand or gazing at the Temple of Dendur. If I’m not researching or writing, I’m probably cooking French Onion Soup or buying more plants to further overcrowd my apartment.
“Mystery found me early on, grabbing on tight and never letting go. On any given night you might’ve seen the glow of a flashlight softly beaming from this window as I hunted criminals with Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes often well past midnight. The notebook on my nightstand helped me follow along as I wrote bulleted notes in my narrow, shaky handwriting, trying to make my mind work like Sherlock’s, trying to disprove the voice in my head that said you’re just Watson. I wasn’t the sidekick, I was the girl who solved the murder.”