Ever since I combed out my first long-haired doll, I knew I wanted to be a hairdresser. It’s a family tradition: my grandfather and great-grandfather were barbers, my great aunt was a hairdresser and salon owner, and now my niece is following in our footsteps. What surprised many of my friends, though, was that I’d become and author…but that’s a story for later.

My career began humbly and took me to owning a business in the Boston area, spending 18 years styling hair of Nashville’s music elite, and seeing my work published in Elle Magazine, among many other ventures. How did I transition from hairdresser to first-time novelist? Journaling throughout the 80’s. That decade–an era of iconic hair, fashion, music, the onset of the AIDS crisis, and the gradual emergence of the gay community–inspired my novel, Towel Dry and a Good Cry. The story’s backdrop is captured through my unique perspective, shaped by my experiences during that transformative time.

My grandfather’s barber bag and a photo of him in his barbershop in the 1920’s.

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