Have you ever wondered what it would be like to face a serial killer?

I've always been fascinated by crime. Maybe because I always played by the rules. It led me to my professional career: first law, then a consultant for justice clients.

Damaged was inspired by a US criminal case. But I wanted to use the case as a springboard for a thriller with an ordinary woman in the lead, a woman who suffered heartbreak, who struggled with her career, who couldn't afford to buy the alarm system she needed for her house because her plumbing was leaking.

I wanted to write about an ordinary woman who has to face her darkest fears.

In Damaged, Kate Lange finds out how far she would go to stop a serial killer.

And learns how far she has to go to save herself.

Meet Kate Lange. Thirty something lawyer. Runner. Owner of an abandoned dog.

My everywoman superwoman.

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In praise of libraries

I can't talk about writing without mentioning libraries -- it was my own local bookmobile that introduced me at a young age to the pleasure of reading. I loved libraries so much that when I graduated from high school, I worked at the checkout desk of our local public library, hobbling around with a walking cast because I broke my ankle on prom night. Then, in law school, I worked part-time in the makeshift law library that had been created after lightning struck the permanent one (no, I wasn’t in the building at the time).

It is a special thrill for me to know that my books will be available in public libraries. It feels like I’ve come full circle.