I grew up in rural Pennsylvania. As a child, I spent most of my time playing outside with my brothers, and the rest of the time reading as many books as I could. I devoured them. Soon, I discovered that I also enjoyed writing. My earliest endeavors were writing haiku and writing in a journal. Later, this became short stories, poetry, essays, and most recently, a children's book. 

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My fascination with the world beyond the Pennsylvania countryside extended into choosing, at first, a major in French and international business when I went to college. Soon, though, I gave in to the magnetic pull back to words, and changed my major to English and communications. 

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Not surprisingly, writing - storytelling, really - is at the heart of my professional career in communications and public relations. I've worked for Marriott International and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Royal Caribbean Group, and United Way of Miami-Dade in public relations, communications, and corporate sustainability. I've spent years understanding how truth and authenticity in storytelling can inspire people to action. I've also traveled to some of the world's most beautiful destinations, and have met the most welcoming, kind people there. Other jobs I've had also hold a lot of value for me, as I believe we learn from everyone and everything we experience. I've taught English in Japan, marketed poultry vaccines, taught fitness classes, worked in several libraries, and have spent a fair amount of time as a caterer as well as a server, among other jobs. 

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I try not to think of pre-pandemic life vs. our current now as two separate eras, but rather as two fluid seasons building to whatever the next season will be, when we finally move into a more hopeful future. Nature is my guide. The certainty - for now, at least - that no matter what happens in our work lives, our relationships, our economies, our societies, and our thoughts, the sun will shine, precipitation will rise and fall, plants and trees will grow, and animals will seek survival, is a certainty that I hold close.

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In addition to reading like mad, I enjoy being in nature (especially the tropical landscapes near my home in Miami), daily exercise, cooking, reminiscing about travels past and fantasizing about travels future, spending time with my humans (and cat), and letting my imagination run wild.

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