Rachel grew up in the mountains of Colorado and still believes the term “mountain” is wildly abused by those east of the Continental Divide. Her future might have been radically different had she, as a child, succeeded in inventing a suitable superpower and costume. Alas, her creativity did not flourish in the medium of spandex, and her dreams of a life spent fighting crime were thwarted.

Successive careers as a cowboy, president of the U.S., NFL placekicker, and actor passed rapidly, and in high school Rachel settled on writing as her path in life. She wouldn’t discover until later that those destined to become presidents and placekickers did not spend their idle childhood hours writing stories.

After graduating with an English degree, Rachel spent a year teaching in China where she wrote copious letters and journal entries but no fiction. She also struggled—a lot—met wonderful people, ate great food, and learned that basic American assumptions about life are just that: assumptions. And American.

She then returned to the States and settled down to figure out what this writing thing was all about. She worked on short stories for a couple of years before deciding she wanted to tell a deeper, wider story. Four states and many years later, she has completed a novel but is still trying to figure out what this writing thing is all about.

Rachel finished her first book, Open Space, in 2010 and is seeking representation. The story is rooted in the Western landscape of her childhood and weaves together loss, community, daily work, hope, and the possibility of grace. Read a synopsis of Open Space or download chapter 1.

In February 2011, Rachel won a short story writing contest sponsored by Kreuzberg, CA, a fun, funky coffee shop in San Luis Obispo.

When not writing or masquerading as a productive member of society, Rachel enjoys hiking, soccer, good food—especially chocolate—and good humor.