About Me
I once lived in a house that was brought to Key West
from the Bahamas in the 1800's. The thick heart pine
walls were so hard they bent nails. At the kitchen
doorway, old wood cupped beneath a new sill. I knew
there was dust in the cracks that dated from the original owners. I put a pencil and paper in the
attic in case there was a spirit presence that had something to say. There wasn’t. I gave up on
that, but I never lost the sense of the people who lived there before me. These were the seeds of
Sand Dollar, a tale of old Key West.
Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, I went "east to college" where I graduated from Brown
University in Providence, R.I. Since then, I’ve lived in Massachusetts, New York, France, and
mainland Florida. For some years I’ve made my home in Key West.
I can’t remember when I didn’t like to read and write. I've published nonfiction articles about
just about everything - horses, fitness, interviews. Maybe my favorite was the dining column I
wrote for a monthly magazine. I enjoy doing interviews, too, because they let me ask the
questions I wouldn't normally dare. Some other publications include:
- My short story, Paint Job, was published in the 2006 Florida International University Key
West Writers Conference Anthology.
- My reminiscence, Grandmommy's Love, is included in All My Good Habits I Learned from
Grandma, edited by Laurel Seiler Brunvoll.
- My essay was a finalist in the Inter-American Press Association Chapultepec Essay Contest.
- My fable, Amavie, won second place in the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife
Refuge contest.
Sand Dollar is my first novel, but not my last.
Some Little-Known Facts
About Key West
The Florida Keys are the only frost-free region in the continental United States.
Key West is closer to Cuba (90 miles) than it is to Miami (125 miles). A mayor of Key West
once water skied to Cuba.
A good place to walk, watch birds and study history is the Key West City Cemetery. It’s said
that as many as 100,000 people have been buried there during its 160 years of existence. Some
of the graves are marked with sayings like “I told you I was sick” and “I’m just resting my
eyes.”
Harry Truman enjoyed regular vacations in Key West and many presidents have visited.
They’re remembered by Roosevelt Blvd., Eisenhower Drive, and Kennedy Drive. The Margaret
Truman laundry is located at the corner of Margaret Street and Truman Avenue. You can visit
the "Little White House" where Harry Truman stayed during his frequent visits to the island.
If you're planning a trip to Key West, here are a couple of tips:
1. Park your car and walk or rent a bicycle. You'll see a lot more and you
won't have to find a place to park!
2. Reserve ahead! My favorite guest house is The Angelina. It's clean,
quaint, quiet, and reasonably priced.
