I trace my love of writing back to childhood and to my father, Henry (yes, Henry the bear’s namesake! By the way, Marsha the fox is my mom’s!), who instilled in me a love of words. He enjoyed introducing me to interesting words when I was a young girl. I remember one, myrrh, which he pointed out had no traditional vowels but, instead, had a y. I couldn’t wait to use it! It soon appeared in a short story I had to write for eighth grade in which I told of a creature that emerged from the ocean depths dripping in myrrh. Didn’t make much sense, but I still managed to get an A. My love of words and communication developed into a love of languages at an early age. There’s nothing like being able to communicate with someone in his/her native language; it opens up the world!

Professional life

While I’d intended to become a university professor of Spanish, I ended up getting a job in the international division of a bank, working with Latin America and traveling there extensively. My career as an international banker spanned several decades until I serendipitously was given the opportunity to change hats and become senior vice president and head of corporate communications/bank spokesperson. 

Notwithstanding all those years in the finance industry, my true interests have always involved the arts, language, communication, and human relationships.  That’s why I ultimately left the financial world, went back to school, obtained a Master of Science degree in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University, and eventually opened up my mediation and conflict resolution consulting practice. I’ve also taught courses in the Sociology of Conflict and Dispute Resolution as an adjunct lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY).

In my spare time, I enjoy the company of those I hold dear, the culture and vibrancy of Manhattan, and international travel. Also, I’m privileged to study classical piano with the incredible concert pianist Sandro Russo.

Okay, enough about me.

Clive, Sydney, and Nanushka dance into the picture

One day, when my wonderfully creative, fun-loving life partner, Jesús (yes, the same Jesús who’s my business partner in Missy Cat and the book’s concept artist and art director), and I were getting ready to play some music together (he, on guitar; I, on piano), he unexpectedly blurted out in some sort of feigned accent, “And now, for your entertainment pleasure, Nanushka will perform her famous act with her two armadillos.”  It took us both a while to recover from the ensuing fit of laughter and, in fact, we must have laughed about this for weeks. 

So, as sad as we were Jesús wouldn’t have time to illustrate the book himself, we were thrilled to find a wonderfully talented illustrator, award-winning Tamara Campeau, to add her own magic to the mix. 

Even though the characters in Nanushka Is Missing! are animals, we recognize in their interactions many of the same challenges we humans often deal with. And, as a conflict resolution professional, I believe I can bring certain insight into these relationships. Messages of friendship, courage, loyalty, trust, empathy, and love are embedded in the story; Social Emotional Learning is implicitly fostered.