Look and Listen

Biography

I'm a born storyteller. Even in first grade, I was notorious for scribbling stories on scraps of paper. When I wasn't doing that, I'd have my nose buried in a book, soaking up other peoples' stories. Reading and writing stories became my lifelong passions. Over the years - When I was still in grade school, I sold poems to greeting card companies and gave the money to my parents so they could pay the rent. Since then many of my stories have been published in magazines (Incl. Playgirl - which caused my son to stop talking to me for a month.) I've also written eleven novels and two screenplays which are available. And last but not least, my short story "The Tenement" recently won the National League Of American Pen Women's first prize award. I'm also an avid environmentatist who's played a major role in saving a New Jersey/New York mountain range from developers. I'm thrilled to say that land will remain open space forever. My final wish is: I be cremated when the time comes and that my ashes be dropped in those mountains along with a plaque that says: Here lies a funny lady who saved mountains."

Inspiration

A. R. says: When I was very young and poor and living in the Bronx, N.Y., I'd go to this used book store every day. Old man Kaye took pity on me and let me borrow a different magazine or book every day, providing I returned it in good condition. Many times when business was slow, he'd take me into the back room and pull one of his treasured first edition/autographed books off the shelf. Then he'd sit down and tell me what the book was about. Worldwide travel and a career that brought me in touch with a never-ending stream of interesting personalities and celebrities fanned my already fertile imagination over the years, and now validate the vivid, multi-dimensional characters that people my novels. I kid my younger brother all the time, about how I had to go to the library to do his book reports.