[close] Born in the Midwest and raised all over the south, I'd lived in six states and attended twelve different schools by the time I graduated from college.

I learned to read at four years old, and wrote my first story at six. It was about a class fieldtrip to the zoo. In addition to being my first experiment with the written word, it was also the first and only tale I illustrated myself--it turns out that my talents do not extend to the visual arts. At all. It's sad, really.

Since sixth grade, my reading interests have centered around the dark side of literature. In junior high, much to my teacher's distress, I wrote my very first book report about Carrie, by Stephen King. I devoured books about magic, vampires, and werewolves by the dozens. Monsters held a special fascination for me, be they human or beast. And eventually "I love these books" became "I think I can write these books," and I began creating fictional worlds of my own.

I dabbled with short stories all the way through junior high, high school, and college, but didn't begin writing seriously until several years later, when I started my first novel. By the time I'd completed four manuscripts, I knew I'd found what I wanted to do with my life. My entire life. So, here I am, still clacking away at the keyboard. [close]