I was born in L.A., raised in a small town in northern Michigan, spent a decade in Boston after college, spent almost two in San Francisco and now live in Portland, Oregon.

In my work life, I'm a certified life coach. I help people transform. It is the coolest. Before that, I was a marketing director at a design firm. Before that, I worked for Zipcar during the early days. And before that, I spent a dozen years in bookselling and publishing. I also put in my time in the restaurant trenches, a school of life if there ever is one. 

In the rest of my life? I really like popcorn. So does my dog Gus. It pleases me ridiculously that we both have the same favorite snack. I am married to a mathematician. He is much better at fancy math than I am, but I am way better at figuring out the tip in a restaurant. So that feels pretty balanced. 

I've always been interested in writing and telling stories. One night, a bunch of years ago, in a moment of bravery (aided by a few glasses of wine), I signed up for a thing called Writers Camp, run by Cheryl Strayed. I had a hunch that it might be the first step in being in a more serious relationship with my writing. I haven't stopped looking for good teachers ever since. (TIP: If your heroes offer workshops and classes, take them! Especially if you're scared to!) I have gotten amazing instruction, feedback, and wisdom from these folks over the last few years: Lynda Barry, Dorothy Allison, Cheryl Strayed, Pam Houston, Alan Heathcock, Steve Almond, Samantha Dunn, Faith Adiele, Laurie Wagner, Julia Scheeres, and Lidia Yuknavitch 

I am working (slowly, ever so slowly) on a memoir about how my mom's dementia has been a weird and lovely gift to me. It's not as callous or depressing as it sounds.