Who’d have thought that 30 minutes on a Saturday morning as a kid in front of a TV would influence the rest of your life. But that was me, riveted by the children’s show Big Blue Marble, which featured the lives of kids all over the world. 

The result: a few well-stamped passports and a lifetime of amazing experiences. I’ve worked as a (decent if powered by enough espresso) bilingual secretary in Paris, backpacked around Europe, Central America, and Southern Africa, and helped rebuild communities after war throughout Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific. I got my master’s degree in anthropology at Melbourne University in Australia and my Ph.D. in sociology at the London School of Economics in England. 

This thrill of adventure also inspired me to earn a black belt in Taekwondo, summit 900 feet rock climbing, and fly a helicopter (once, during a lesson, for five terrifying minutes). I currently live in Annapolis, Maryland, where I’m either doing yoga, playing outside, or plotting murder. 

I am represented by Paula Munier at Talcott Notch Literary.