

And though I've loved getting to live all over the country as an adult, including in New England, I still avoid footwear whenever possible.Īfter earning a masters from a theological seminary and a doctorate in English lit., I taught classes at a number of universities but longed to write full time. A shy kid who was sick a lot, I learned to love reading and creating my own stories-and avoiding wearing shoes at all costs. Much to my sweet mother's bafflement, I always preferred dogs, horses, and the woods to dolls and playhouses.

Although I was born in Washington, D.C., I grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee outside Chattanooga.
