"Briar Rose" is an homage to the Grimm's version of a fairytale wherein a young girl is cursed to sleep for one hundred years. After struggling with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for years, I was recently (finally) diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease. In that moment, I did not feel much like a beauty, but I certainly felt like sleeping. In an effort to romanticize the everyday trivialities of chronic illness, I like to imagine that this is simply my version of a fae curse. That's more fun-ish, isn't it?

As a young girl, I loved the "Royal Diary" and "Dear America" series (along with anything by Gail Carson Levine or Shannon Hale), and Jo March and Anne Shirley were FAR cooler to me than any celebrity ever could be. More than anything, I want to be Somewhere Else when I read, and I've spent my life chasing the bits of magic that can only be found between the pages of a good book. So, it's only natural that as an editor, I gravitate to historical fiction and folkloric fantasy- preferably with a healthy side of spooky.

I started my publishing journey on the visual art side and earned my BFA in illustration. And although it can be immensely dull at times, I figured that to help my clients best, I needed to better understand publishing as the commercial trade it is. So, I completed my M.S. in Marketing Analytics. This non-linear, non-English-major background has helped me not only understand how to tell a story, but also how to actually get it into readers' hands.

When I'm not reading (or sleeping), I like diving, snorkeling, and if I'm lucky, traveling. I'm fairly terrible at relaxing, but I attempt to chill by watching BBC's Merlin or signing up for niche internet courses on random topics- such as, but not limited to, medieval manuscript illumination. I also love anything to do with fragrance, as it's the only time I'll ever take a deep breath, and can often be found wandering in the perfume aisle sniffing distractedly as I listen to my latest favorite audiobook.

I'm delighted that you're here, and I hope your next read-whatever it may be- is 5 stars.