So here's the scoop. I was born in Oakland and can’t seem to stay away from the Bay Area for long—despite all the reasons to leave, including earthquakes—because of all the reasons to stay, like the heartrending blue of the sky.
My mother is from Mexico and moved to Berkeley at 15. My father was born in Los Angeles and served in the U.S. Army Airborne, jumping out of airplanes behind enemy lines. So when people ask if writing is hard, I say, "Not really," because no one’s actively shooting at me while I’m at my laptop.
I earned degrees in English & American Literature and Creative Writing at Stanford and studied British theatre and history in England. I worked for theatre companies, including the American Conservatory Theatre, and wrote features and op-eds for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Contra Costa Times.
I’m a messy gardener and cycle through a variety of obsessive interests, usually with a dog or two at my side.
The latest of my obsessive interests is writing poetry, and I just completed a collection, Burnt Things & Carelessness. Which is pretty much exactly what the title suggests.
What do people say about my novels? Often, “I don’t know what kind of book this is.” My answer is: I write books that, like the characters I create, refuse to be shoved neatly in a category. There is darkness under the lightheartedness, and hope within the grief, and laughter and tears in everything.
My writing has been analyzed in doctoral theses, presented at conferences, and taught in universities and high schools. Pretty cool for someone who believes humor isn’t taken seriously enough as craft and art.
