Author Biography and Contact Information
I write non-fiction, primarily about travel and folklore, which often come together in my books. Ghost stories associated with particular historical locations especially interest me, as do quirky facts about places I love, and the fascinating characters that once lived there.
Several years ago, I closed my long-time New Mexico practice in clinical and forensic psychology to devote more time to writing–and beachcombing. My husband, a former attorney, and I divide our time between Santa Fe, Hutchinson Island, Florida, and visiting our two adult sons and their families
After years of living in Roswell with its sometimes offbeat attractions and history–the Roswell Incident, for example–writing Roswell, Your Travel Guide to the UFO Capital of the World! gave me the chance to share these interests with visitors to the Land of Enchantment.
Next I wrote a book about a distinctly different region, one I have loved since my childhood spent knee-deep in the marshes and saltwater creeks of the South Carolina coast. Tales from Brookgreen: Folklore, Ghost Stories, and Gullah Folktales in the South Carolina Lowcountry recounts stories from Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina’s popular tourist attraction just south of Myrtle Beach. I am happy to see that the three shorter collections of stories from this longer work are quite popular: Lowcountry Ghosts, Gullah Ghosts, and Crab Boy’s Ghost. I hope to get back to work on more lowcountry ghost stories soon.
Did you know that Herman Melville, of Moby-Dick fame, wrote a series of articles describing the Galapagos Islands? Neither did I until recently. My latest project has been to put Melville’s articles together with wonderful photographs taken by my son Moses in the Galapagos Islands, and writing introductory material to create a book for the modern visitor to the place Melville called “The Encantadas.” We call the book In the Galapagos Islands with Herman Melville and hope this glimpse into the “Enchanted Isles,” written over 150 years ago, will enrich the visits of today’s travelers. I’ve also put two shorter ebooks from it on Kindle that feature even more of Moses’ great photos: Galapagos Islands Birds and Galapagos Islands Landscapes.
Recently I’ve gotten interested in researching the famous New Mexico outlaw Billy the Kid, especially the time he spent in Santa Fe. Did you know that more movies have been made about him over the years than about ANY OTHER individual? I have already completed one short book, Billy the Kid’s Jail, as well as the first two volumes of my planned non-fiction trilogy, Billy the Kid in Santa Fe. It’s hard not to avoid detouring into writing more about Santa Fe in the 1870s and 1880s. I get lost in reading Santa Fe newspapers from that era. So many fascinating details!
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