I've been an avid reader and writer since age 4. Back then, my tastes ran to "Miffy," the "Moomintroll" books and a British series called "Topsy and Tim" -- which formed my love of complex, complete narratives with compelling characters. After studying English literature at Cambridge and Creative Writing at Columbia, I became a freelance writer...more »

I've been an avid reader and writer since age 4. Back then, my tastes ran to "Miffy," the "Moomintroll" books and a British series called "Topsy and Tim" -- which formed my love of complex, complete narratives with compelling characters. After studying English literature at Cambridge and Creative Writing at Columbia, I became a freelance writer specializing in arts and culture. I've reviewed books for the San Francisco Chronicle, New York Newsday, the Boston Phoenix, Salon.com and others. My favorite books continue to be well-plotted novels with intelligent (and not always likable) characters, though I read a lot of nonfiction too. « less