The Book Doctor Is In

MY STORY

I've loved books since I popped out of the womb. They've been my teachers, my cherished companions, my magical adventures to fantasy worlds, my immersive escape, my treasured gifts. I love the way they smell, the way they feel. Libraries and bookstores make me swoon. I started reading at the age of three, and I can't imagine a life not being surrounded by books.

I also came into this world with a gift for (and odd obsession with) grammar and a penchant for language. From the youngest age, I was correcting my family's and friends' subject/verb usage and subject vs. object pronouns, as well as admonishing the use of "ain't" ("It's not a real word," I would seethe). I dreamed of being a writer and/or an editor. But as life sometimes goes, I didn't enter that field. At least not for a while ...

After years of being everyone's go-to gal for grammar rules and spell-check, and reading books like The Elements of Style and The Chicago Manual of Style for fun, I had an amazing opportunity to reinvent myself.

It came at the end of a year-long dark night of the soul, but I can say without a doubt that the Universe was conspiring in my favor. "You were blessed with all these skills," I heard in my mind. "It's time for you to finally walk your true purpose and delight in using them to build a niche career!"

That was back in 2011, when The Book Doctor Is In was born. Self-publishing was just blossoming with new platforms, and I set my sights on learning all I could, or expanding my current knowledge, about everything from editing to cover design, to layout artistry and publishing. Being able to take a writer by the hand from raw manuscript to market was a joy, and utilizing the talent I'd been given and honed—along with my attention to every detail and dedication to excellence—allowed me to become a trusted partner for a wide range of authors.

I've now helped to bring over 275 books into the marketplace. Childhood dreams do come true.

SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT ME IN BLURBS AND PICTURES THAT YOU MAY FIND INTERESTING ... OR GET A KICK OUT OF, OR FIND RELATABLE IN SOME WAY

I graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Scripps College in Claremont, CA, and was named to Who's Who Among American College Students.

I have been a layout artist for She Writes Press since 2013, and I've relished designing the interiors of over 200 books for their authors.

I'm a huge classic movie fan and have a treasured collection of books, many of which are out of print, on old Hollywood, films, and favorite classic stars.

I realized I had a gift for foreign languages when, in my sixth-grade year, a Jordanian family moved in across the street, and I learned fairly easily to speak and understand Arabic with a pitch-perfect accent. I later formally studied Spanish, French, and German, and I taught myself to read Hebrew.

I love sports movies!

I was honored to host one of my favorite authors, Fannie Flagg, at a Southern California women's author event in 2013.

I was born to a 16-year-old mother and 20-year-old father who divorced before I was a year old—yet they (along with my beloved grandparents!) couldn't have given me a more uniquely blessed and wonderful life.

I went to college at 25, graduated at 31, and completely reinvented my career at 42.

Me, age 4

I'm the author of the award-winning memoir Raising, and Losing, My Remarkable Teenage Mother, released on what would have been my mom's 69th birthday, June 14, 2021.

I'm a huge fan of Gilmore Girls—it's not only an incredibly smart and witty show, with a perfect cast and brilliant writing, but it parallels my own life in remarkable ways!

I'm incredibly sentimental — I tear up during touching movies, sweet commercials, and every time someone performs well, wins a medal in the Olympics, or simply provokes empathy in me in their particular circumstance.

I grew up in Southern California and as a child and adult have been to Disneyland probably 75 times—such wonderful memories!

Me, age 6

I currently live on an island overlooking Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains in Washington state with my partner, Dana, and our Maine Coon kitty, Sierra Luna. It is a creative's dream to be surrounded by nature and to have so many deer and squirrels as visitors!

I was the only student in my junior high (word nerd alert!) to ever win the school spelling bee all three years.

If I could be someone else for a day, I'd be Phryne Fisher, the intuitive, smart, witty, and glamorous female detective of the 1920s-set Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, based on the books by Kerry Greenwood and brilliantly portrayed by Essie Davis.

Films I've watched a ridiculous number of times and can quote extensively:

Now, Voyager (1942)

How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)

Desk Set (1957)

Young Frankenstein (1974)

9 to 5 (1980)

The Big Chill (1983)

Terms of Endearment (1983)

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Enchanted April (1991)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Thanks to a vintage photo booth app, this is what I might have looked like if I lived in the 30s or 40s!

I had an epistolary friendship with actress Audrey Meadows of The Honeymooners between 1989 until her death in 1996, met her on four occasions, and attended her private funeral.

I can recite the 50 states in alphabetical order in 20 seconds (I had to learn it in 5th grade and never forgot!), as well as all the presidents in numerical order.

(I know, who cares? But some might find it amusing ... lol)