I grew up in Olathe,Kansas near Kansas City, and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree with a major in trumpet from University of Kansas. I played for a season with The Ruth Coleman all girl orchestra. I'm a retired public school music teacher and a retired Municipal Band trumpet player. Many things and people influenced my writing. My parents, my elementary teachers who emphasized correct spelling and lots of reading, my junior high and high school English teachers who pateently graded 'themes,' and my typing teacher! Teachers are unsung heroes of today's world.Daily practice on the piano and the trumpet taught me persistence which has served me well throughout my writing career.

In 1982 and again in 1987 the Florida State Historical Society awarded two of my books, Captain Morgana Mason and The Tomorrow Star, the Charlton Tebeau award for best children's book of their respective years.



In 1999 the Short Mystery Fiction Society awarded my short story,"When in Rome" a Derringer Award for best short-short mystery of that year.

My first adult mystery novel, CONCH SHELL MURDER is now out from Five Star and has gone into a second printing. Outstanding reviews of the book have appeared i Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, Harriet Klausner Reviews, AllBooks.com reivews, Kevin Tibble revews. More information can be found on Amazon.com by writing in CONCH SHELL MURDER and clicking GO.