When Life Becomes Story

I come from a long line of strong women who shaped my life in different but equally powerful ways. My grandmother built a professional career at a time when few women held leadership positions, quietly teaching me that determination doesn't need to announce itself to change the world. My mother never finished high school, but she possessed a lifelong love of books. She believed I had a story to tell long before I believed it myself, and she was the first person to encourage me to write the novel that became What Falls from the Sky.

Readers often ask whether Ellie O'Neill is me. The answer is both yes and no. Ellie carries many of my strengths and weaknesses, my curiosity, my optimism, and my tendency to ask one question too many. Like me, she believes that ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference simply by refusing to look away when something doesn't feel right.

Many of the experiences woven into my novels are rooted in my own life. I grew up between Baltimore and Washington, where my fascination with mysteries began after watching the military search nearby woods for something that had fallen from the sky.

Over the years, I've worked in technology, cared for aging parents, stood beside my husband through his battle with Alzheimer's disease, and faced my own diagnosis with a rare cancer. Every chapter of my life has found its way into my writing—not as autobiography, but as emotion, perspective, and the questions that continue to shape me.

I believe the best stories aren't just about solving mysteries. They're about discovering who we become when life asks more of us than we ever imagined we could give. If my novels leave you turning pages late into the night while also reminding you of the resilience we all carry within us, then I've accomplished exactly what I set out to do.

Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoy spending time with Ellie O'Neill as much as I've enjoyed bringing her stories to life.