Jacqueline Lepore

I am a native Philadelphian, born in South Philly and raised first there, then later in the suburbs. I attended the University of Pennsylvania for both undergraduate and graduate studies, earning a Ph.D. in psychology. I moved with my husband to Maryland immediately after that and have practiced here for more than twenty years as a licensed psychologist. I have three children and a houseful of pets.Every writer begins as a reader. I cut my teeth on Gothic novels and Nancy Drew mysteries, which I consumed with a voracious appetite, loving every heart-pounding moment of suspense. I began writing when I was in the seventh grade, filling notebooks with unfinished stories of horror, science fiction, and romance. By senior year in high school, I was doing short story collections, but these were never shared—writing was my "dirty little secret."It was always my dream to write a full-length novel, and I began attempting this in college. I eventually succeeded many years later, and years after that got the courage to “come out” about my peculiar hobby of making up stories. I found a terrific second career as a writer of romantic fiction, but after a while I wanted to challenge myself again to create a new, completely different sort of story. With the Emma Andrews series, I have found my way back to all those Gothic traditions I had treasured growing up. So, I’ve come full circle and just as Emma found her true self, so have I.