I grew up in Clifton, New Jersey, where I learned to wear tight clothes and a lot of makeup. Clifton was both urban and very small town. My father, a lawyer and former city councilor, knew everyone – especially the cops, which made my teenage years challenging. But my father also knew an infamous cop charged with murder. After the acquittal, I was granted an interview and wrote my first murder story at 15 years old for my high school paper. I went to Boston University where I majored in journalism, worked on a college paper that went defunct, and waitressed at The Eliot Lounge -- the backdrop for Addy’s first meeting with the suspect, Kit Korbanics, in Final Copy.
Also, at B.U., I became friends with a man who would become a major criminal and be executed gangland style. His story is the inspiration for one of the subplots in Final Copy. I got the idea for A Confidential Source years ago, listening to former mayor Buddy Cianci’s drive time talk radio show as I headed home each night from the Providence newsroom. Amused by the abject adoration of the listeners, I decided I wanted my protagonist to be addicted to talk radio. I had no idea who was going to be murdered.
I live in a suburb between Boston and Providence with my husband, two children, a dog and a bird. When I’m not writing, I play tennis. Transplanted to New England, I’ve become a Red Sox fan and lately have started to read the sports page first and listen to talk radio. Unlike Hallie, I’ve yet to call in.
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