I grew up in mid-coast Maine, where I spent many hours exploring the coves and tidal inlets of the Damariscotta and Sheepscot Rivers, much like my characters in The Secret of the Catapus. I graduated from Lincoln Academy in 1972 and went on to study English Literature and Elementary Education at the University of Southern Maine, eventually becoming a Special Education and Literacy teacher. A few years after graduating, I lived and taught school in Washington County, in Down East Maine.

In 2016, I retired from teaching in Maine, and with my husband, Mark, spent seven more years teaching in Alaska. Six of those years were above the Arctic Circle in Kotzebue and Utqiagvik (Barrow), a whaling community. We have two grown children and two grandchildren. Whenever I am not writing, I enjoy cooking, reading, doing cross stitch, gardening and walking on our hill, where we have a glorious view of the surrounding Amish farms and the Canadian border.