It all started with Rin Tin Tin, one of my favorite TV actors. At age nine I entered a 25-word-or-less contest on why I like Rin Tin Tin. I won first prize, tickets to the rodeo at Madison Square Garden where Rinty and his cavalry buddies were appearing. The rodeo was great. Seeing Rinty was great. But winning a writing contest was the best.
From there I tried my hand at publishing my own weekly newspaper, the VooDoo Express. I was publisher, editor, reporter, advice columnist, sports columnist and humorist, and distributed my carefully hand-printed copies to my family. I wrote that until they all got sick of it and begged me to stop. Then I switched to creating my own fictional stories. I wrote and wrote and wrote some more, until suddenly, I was an adult (funny how that happens). I knew I wanted to be a writer but I didn’t know what I wanted to write. One summer I was flying down to Florida to see my family and stopped at the bookstore in the airport for something to read to take my mind off the flight. I picked up a historical romance…and I was hooked. I thought, hey, I can do this. So I bought a little portable Smith Corona typewriter and wrote SILVER LADY, a story of love and betrayal in the old west with a half-breed hero. While I was busy shopping that manuscript around I wrote THIS TENDER PRIZE, a story of love and dark secrets upon the raging seas with a pirate hero. I think it takes more than just talent to succeed in this business. It also takes luck and being in the right place at the right time. All the stars seemed to be aligned for me because I sold both manuscripts to Pocket Books.
More sales came after that, to Dell, Meteor and Silhouette Intimate Moments. I proudly placed in the top 100 of the Writers Digest short story competition two consecutive years. By then, the historical market seemed to be waning, so I switched to writing contemporaries. I was thrilled when one of my Intimate Moments, RUN WILD RUN FREE, won the Golden Leaf Award given by the New Jersey Romance Writers.
So, here I am thirty + years after the publication of my first book, still writing about love and adventure. Among my contemporary heroes are a cattle rancher, a race car driver, a police detective, a high-powered businessmen, a Vietnam vet, a rodeo rider, an ex-con, a Native American rancher, - flawed men looking for redemption. Some of my historical heroes are a half-breed outlaw, a pirate, a vampire, Lakota warriors, a backwoodsman, a Kenyan coffee farmer, a Revolutionary spy, a Russian prince, and a knight in tarnished armor. The women who love them are strong-willed and capable. But whether I’m writing contemporary stories or historical ones, through the ages one thing remains the same - it’s that crazy thing called love.
I’ve come a long way since Rin Tin Tin. Although I was born and raised in New York, and in my heart I’ll always be a NY girl, these days I live in South Florida, the land of heat and hurricanes, with my husband and our rescued Husky.
In addition to writing romance novels, I write non-fiction. When I'm not writing, I like to read, watch old movies on TV, work out at the gym, do ceramics, knit, crochet, eat out, go to art and antique shows and museums. Two of my favorite places are the Natural History Museum in Manhattan and the Bronx Zoo. I've been married to my childhood sweetheart for 57 years. It hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it. We're a lot alike, but different enough for it to work. He's my honey and my best friend, and he'll always be my boyfriend.
So, there you have it. That’s me, in considerably more than 25 words.
Oh, and by the way, the winning entry in the contest was: "I like Rin Tin Tin because he’s loyal and trustworthy and he’s always around when you need him." Now, if that isn’t the perfect description of a romance hero, I don’t know what is.
From there I tried my hand at publishing my own weekly newspaper, the VooDoo Express. I was publisher, editor, reporter, advice columnist, sports columnist and humorist, and distributed my carefully hand-printed copies to my family. I wrote that until they all got sick of it and begged me to stop. Then I switched to creating my own fictional stories. I wrote and wrote and wrote some more, until suddenly, I was an adult (funny how that happens). I knew I wanted to be a writer but I didn’t know what I wanted to write. One summer I was flying down to Florida to see my family and stopped at the bookstore in the airport for something to read to take my mind off the flight. I picked up a historical romance…and I was hooked. I thought, hey, I can do this. So I bought a little portable Smith Corona typewriter and wrote SILVER LADY, a story of love and betrayal in the old west with a half-breed hero. While I was busy shopping that manuscript around I wrote THIS TENDER PRIZE, a story of love and dark secrets upon the raging seas with a pirate hero. I think it takes more than just talent to succeed in this business. It also takes luck and being in the right place at the right time. All the stars seemed to be aligned for me because I sold both manuscripts to Pocket Books.
More sales came after that, to Dell, Meteor and Silhouette Intimate Moments. I proudly placed in the top 100 of the Writers Digest short story competition two consecutive years. By then, the historical market seemed to be waning, so I switched to writing contemporaries. I was thrilled when one of my Intimate Moments, RUN WILD RUN FREE, won the Golden Leaf Award given by the New Jersey Romance Writers.
So, here I am thirty + years after the publication of my first book, still writing about love and adventure. Among my contemporary heroes are a cattle rancher, a race car driver, a police detective, a high-powered businessmen, a Vietnam vet, a rodeo rider, an ex-con, a Native American rancher, - flawed men looking for redemption. Some of my historical heroes are a half-breed outlaw, a pirate, a vampire, Lakota warriors, a backwoodsman, a Kenyan coffee farmer, a Revolutionary spy, a Russian prince, and a knight in tarnished armor. The women who love them are strong-willed and capable. But whether I’m writing contemporary stories or historical ones, through the ages one thing remains the same - it’s that crazy thing called love.
I’ve come a long way since Rin Tin Tin. Although I was born and raised in New York, and in my heart I’ll always be a NY girl, these days I live in South Florida, the land of heat and hurricanes, with my husband and our rescued Husky.
In addition to writing romance novels, I write non-fiction. When I'm not writing, I like to read, watch old movies on TV, work out at the gym, do ceramics, knit, crochet, eat out, go to art and antique shows and museums. Two of my favorite places are the Natural History Museum in Manhattan and the Bronx Zoo. I've been married to my childhood sweetheart for 57 years. It hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it. We're a lot alike, but different enough for it to work. He's my honey and my best friend, and he'll always be my boyfriend.
So, there you have it. That’s me, in considerably more than 25 words.
Oh, and by the way, the winning entry in the contest was: "I like Rin Tin Tin because he’s loyal and trustworthy and he’s always around when you need him." Now, if that isn’t the perfect description of a romance hero, I don’t know what is.
This handsome guy is Indio, my own personal hero. We lost Indio on April 9, 2016. Yes, he was a handsome boy, but the true essence of Indio's beauty was the gentleness of his spirit and the kindness of his heart. That's him on the cover of THE LOVE THAT BINDS. I will miss you forever, Buggy.
And this little (okay, not so little) princess is Nakio, our rescued Husky. If Indio had not passed away when he did, she would not have come into our lives. We like to think she was Indio's gift to us.
