The Skinny

 

Born in Moscow, Russia, I had no idea what English was when I came to California in 1991. Now I think I get it. 

 

Since graduating from Santa Clara University with a B.A. in Theatre and English, I have been writing feverishly. I am currently getting my MFA in creative writing at the University of San Francisco.

 

I live in San Francisco, California with two cats, Sushi and Smokey. They are secret lovers but feign innocence for cranky cat posterity.

 

What Makes Me Tick

 

I'm quite enamored with writing for children and young adults. Food, red wine, my cats, The New Yorker, Kurt Vonnegut, my MacBook, travel, the beach and riding around on my sky blue bike get my motor runnin'.

 

Or cooking. Someone in job heaven, the place jobs live before they get matched with unwitting humans, fell asleep on the watch. As a result, I got to spend six months working in a two Michelin star kitchen and playing with oysters and caviar. The thing nobody warned me about, though, is that working in restaurant kitchens should best be left to lifers and the criminally insane. Unless you like food zooming by your face at the speed of a Chef's fury. 

 

I also love walking all around my beautiful city, listening to Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright, jogging around the Panhandle (because of all that cooking!) and losing my mind laughing at the BBC Office. My life also involves a lot of gawking at a) well-crafted young adult literature and b) Wes Anderson movies, namely The Life Aquatic and The Royal Tennenbaums.

 

When I'm Not Writing...

 

This rarely happens, but when I'm not writing, I'm working on children's content for Handipoints.com... which involves, well... writing. So, I guess the correct answer is... when I'm not writing, I'm sleeping. Or enjoying a glass or three of pinot noir.

 

About My Beautiful Website

 

A very talented woman by the name of Sarah Stein designed and illustrated my website. While I'm pretty darn lucky to write full-time, she's schlepping away at a job that's keeping her from designing. Go to her website and give her money to do what she loves!