Growing up in Missouri, I was always an avid reader. (I have distinct memories of getting in

trouble for reading at the dinner table in second grade!) I devoured The Babysitters Club, Sweet Valley High, and anything by Judy Blume. But I never thought I could write a book or be an author. At the age of 15, I took an Intro to Journalism class in high school that made me realize I could turn my love of words into a career—specifically as a magazine editor.

I attended the University of Missouri Journalism School and then moved to New York City

immediately after graduation. While I loved living and working in Manhattan—I was an editor

at Allure and Us Weekly—after six years in the city, I decided I was ready to move somewhere

new. When I landed in Austin in October 2008, I’d only visited once, but the vibrancy of the city

captured me right away. About a year later, I got a job as an editor at Austin Monthly. And six

months after that I was promoted to editor in chief—lucky timing!

I was editor-in-chief of Austin Monthly for five years, during which time I met my husband, Ray.

After getting married in 2014, we moved to Northwest Hills and then had our first child in 2015.

After our daughter turned 1, I decided to become a freelance writer, and then we had a second

child. When both kids were old enough to go to preschool part-time, I starting dabbling in

writing fiction. I wrote a book in 2019/2020, but it did not secure me an agent, which is needed

in order to sell a book to a traditional publisher.  I wrote another book, which I finished in summer 2022—and that one worked! I signed with an agent in the fall of 2022 and sold the book in the summer of 2023. My debut novel, Hate Follow—about a popular Austin influencer who is sued by her teen daughter for invasion of privacy—came out in October from William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Along with publishing in the U.S., Hate Follow came out in Taiwan in January, and it was

featured in a special promotion at airports across the country that same month. I also attended

the Texas Book Festival in November as a featured author, which was a dream come true!

I’m now working on a new book, another family drama set in Texas, though this time the book

is set in a fictional small town instead of Austin. I’m also back to working at a magazine. I’m

currently managing editor of Texas Highways, where I learn something new about Texas almost

every day.

Ray and I have now lived in Northwest Hills for a decade, and we love the neighborhood so

much. Our children, a fourth grader and a first grader, attend Doss Elementary and are active in

NWA Kickball and martial arts at Third Coast. Our son is also starting Northwest Little League

this spring, which we are very excited about. The Doss community has been particularly

supportive of my novel, with the librarians hosting a parent event for Hate Follow at Black Pearl

Books (where we shot the cover of this issue). So many of the school’s teachers and parents

have read the book and told their friends about it or invited me to speak at their book clubs. It’s

been really lovely. We absolutely adore this neighborhood and wonderful community.