Artistic Statement

As one of my characters in Earth As You Know It reminds us, “History is written by the victors,” and in the long and tortured history of humankind, patriarchy has been the predominant social order. So, it comes as no surprise to find that, throughout the ages, the accomplishments and contributions of half our population have often been belittled, disguised or even stolen outright.

The injustice of that history and a desire to promote a more equitable future is what motivates me to write stories that show a better way. Balancing my interests in both history and science fiction, I set many of my works in the past or in the future where, oftentimes, resilient female characters exercise their agency to determine for themselves what kind of life they will live. To portray these female characters authentically, I draw on a wealth of personal experience with strong, independent women ~ family, friends, professors, classmates, supervisors, colleagues, and most importantly, my spouse of over 30 years.

I recall one law school professor explain that the vast majority of American attorneys were men, a statistic that I found jarring, as a quick visual survey of my classrooms confirmed that the student body was evenly split between women and men. I quickly realized, however, that the gender equity of my current situation was dwarfed by the inequity of the past. As we wait for that lagging indicator to catch up to our more enlightened present, I want to create and share stories that encourage an even more equitable future for all of us, regardless of gender.