I grew up performing in a family bluegrass/gospel band, majored in theater, and spent my 20s busking and working as a voiceover artist. Between 1980 and 1994, my voice was heard on over 3,000 radio and television commercials. 

In 1994, at age 32, I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I used the chemo downtime to write my first two novels and followed up with my first bestseller, Bald in the Land of Big Hair (HarperCollins 2001), a memoir about my experience as a young mom and emerging writer struggling with blood cancer. (Spoiler Alert: I lived!)

The success of BLBH sparked a syndicated newspaper column, a robust speaking career, and invitations to participate in high-profile book projects. The collaborative process took me back to my creative roots in theater and music, and I loved it.
 
In the past twenty years, I’ve written a few more novels of my own and collaborated on more than thirty books, most of which have been NYT/international bestsellers. Specializing in memoirs and literary fiction, I work with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winners, cultural icons, social change agents, and ordinary people living extraordinary lives. 

I live on the beach in Washington State with my husband of 41 years, multimedia artist Gary Rodgers.