I grew up across the street from a house where a young girl was murdered. That mystery, still unsolved to this day, drove me to work in the criminal justice system, first as a court investigator and later as a prison counselor.In between those jobs, I worked as a college speech instructor, a freelance writer, a newspaper reporter and a high school teacher. I took time-out to travel overseas, hike the Grand Canyon several times and return to school to earn three master degrees.The young girl's death decades ago also prompted me to become a "paperback writer" of mysteries.As an investigator for 15 years, I heard first-hand stories from men who committed crimes. Later, as a mental health therapist at a prison, I developed a keen ear for hard and realistic dialogue. I have written three mystery thriller novels staring amateur sleuth Pat Riordan. Book 1: "Bricked", Book 2: "The Slip Swing", and Book 3: "The Cues". Now working on my fourth novel, I also hang out a counseling shingle in my hometown of Columbia, Missouri treating persons who struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
