My love of science fiction and fantasy began at the tender age of four after watching movies such as Return of the Jedi, Gremlins, E.T., The Neverending Story, and Escape to Witch Mountain. English became my second language upon entering school, so it took time to get into reading, but The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe became my favorite book. I remember opening up an armoire at my aunt’s house, hoping it would lead to Narnia, but alas, it didn’t, and I was disappointed.

I grew up in Michigan but moved to New York City in my early 20s, to pursue a career in marketing and advertising. I eventually settled into a lovely Upper West Side apartment years later. After moving in, I found out it was the location of Edgar Allen Poe’s farmhouse, where he completed writing the Raven. But it took another sign from the universe for me to actually start writing down the stories in my head. While spending time in Barcelona in 2013, my flatmate informed me that it once belonged to Mercè Rodoreda i Gurguí, a famous Catalan writer. Of course, living in the former residence of one famous dead author could be a coincidence, but two, not likely! So I took this as a nudge from the universe and began writing.