Before becoming an author, I spent over three decades as a speech-language pathologist. My career centered on helping people find their voices—sometimes literally—and express thoughts and emotions they struggled to communicate.
That experience shaped my approach to writing in ways I didn’t fully understand at first. As a clinician, listening was my most important skill. Understanding pauses, tone, and what remained unsaid taught me that communication is deeply human and profoundly emotional.
Those same principles now guide my storytelling. Dialogue must feel authentic. Characters must communicate not only through words, but through silence, body language, and emotional response. Every conversation on the page carries meaning.
In many ways, storytelling is another form of therapy. Stories allow us to explore difficult emotions safely, to feel understood, and to connect. Writing fiction has been a natural continuation of my lifelong work—helping others feel seen and heard.