I write cozy mysteries from the Chicago suburbs, where I live with my hot husband, a retired fighter pilot (ooh la la), and our cat, Underdog, who lives up to his name by losing every battle with the vacuum cleaner.  Our nest is otherwise empty, because our six grown children inexplicably don’t want to live with us.

I grew up on a corn and soybean farm near a Midwestern town. It was the kind of place where everyone knew your business and it was a good idea to check the family tree before accepting a date to prom (Apologies, Greg J.).

For twenty years, I did what you do with a law degree when you discover that actual lawyering isn’t for you: I hid in corporate America, writing contracts and advising humans about resources. I got surprisingly good at reducing costs and unraveling mysteries—which is basically detective work with more spreadsheets and slightly fewer dead bodies. Eventually I escaped, though I still hold an active Secret security clearance, which I’m morally obligated to mention sounds cooler than it is. Think less James Bond, more compliance paperwork about compliance paperwork.

Those years investigating workplace incidents and human idiosyncrasies turned out to be perfect training for writing murder mysteries. Who knew? Figuring out who killed a man in his cluttered trading post is just another incident investigation. The only difference is that  the witnesses are more interesting and nobody requires me to disclose my foreign travel and contacts, in triplicate.

The Blue Lake Mystery Series came from my love of small Wisconsin towns, my suspicious mind (occupational hazard), and my belief that every good mystery needs at least one bakery, one eccentric neighbor, and zero parking problems.

When I’m not killing off fictional characters, I spend a lot of time walking the sidewalks of small Midwestern towns, discovering the new and interesting ways they continue to make themselves relevant, interesting, and often delicious. I owe a debt of gratitude to the extraordinary shop owners, librarians, coffee shop baristas, and the quirky characters I’ve met in my adventures in the Midwest. Thank you for reading!