"I grew up in Louisiana’s bayou and plantation country.  My father was a beer and liquor salesman, and as a kid, I used to tag along on his trips down through the swamps, going from honky tonk to honky tonk to sell the latest in adult beverages. Boy, did I get to meet a lot of interesting characters with a story or two to tell. After college, I began a career in advertising, PR and political consulting. I also served a while as media spokesman for the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Department. Nothing beats a call at 3 a.m. to have a murder scene described to you. Or long, detailed chats with the coroner. Writing has allowed my imagination to escape back to Louisiana for a little fun. And a lot of the characters in my books were drawn from that rich palette. I hope you enjoy my Emma Eaton series of "history mysteries," including Redcoat, The Killing Cross, Last Island and The Magicians. Emma's a young historian who gets caught up in modern-day mysteries with deadly links to the past. And check out Deep Woods, about the disappearance of a young boy and his friends’ dangerous quest to find him. Or my latest, Club Rio, about a couple of friends who open a nightclub with some illegal gambling in the back. When a crooked sheriff, the mob, the KKK and a philandering preacher get involved, all bets are off. I’m currently writing Albatross, the fifth book in the Emma Eaton series.”