I think almost always that what gets me going with a story is the atmosphere, the visual imagery, and then I people it with characters, not the other way around.

She holds an undergraduate degree from American University and a masters degree from the University of Connecticut. Salinger John Cheever and John Updike. She has received an award for excellence from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and the PEN/Malamud Award for excellence in the short story form.