A wife and mother of two from Southern California, she is a former Russian linguist for the U.S. Army Military Intelligence. Her stories have been called "wonderful and passionate" by WNBC.com and "wickedly entertaining" by "Booklist", and frequently garner Readers' Choice and Reviewers' Choice accolades. Her work has also been named a finalist for the prestigious Romance Writers of America's RITA(R) Award of Excellence.