My writing reflects my reading tastes: literary, eclectic, rich, and full of surprises. I grew up in California and New Zealand. Some of my happiest hours were spent browsing through bookstores and libraries where I was never afraid to explore the "different" or more unusual titles. My very early influences include Dare Wright and Maurice Sendak. For a while I even wanted to be Little Bear when I grew up! Later I was completely taken with all the great Victorian classics and then as my reading tastes widened, I grew to love foreign writers in pa more...