From her earliest days, Danielle recalls poring over Gray's Anatomy as her physician father explained in detail how the body worked. With Danielle at full attention, her father would recount his own stories from medicine. It probably isn't surprising, then, that at one time Danielle applied to medical school. But what she enjoyed even more about the anatomy lessons was the ability to use them in her detailed storytelling, even as a young girl. As one of four children, Danielle grew up in a house where the one with the best story got heard--and fast-paced, grisly stories have always been her favorites.

The desire to tell stories stayed with her, though she took a twisty route to reach her writing career. After graduating from college pre-med with a major in Political Science and a minor in Italian, Danielle decided to postpone her entrance into medical school and instead got her Series 7 license to trade stocks and bonds.

After three years of working 9 to 5 in finance, Danielle and her husband took a year off and traveled the world. Although she had to carry everything she was taking in a backpack, Danielle left out her make-up to make space for notebooks where she could record her ideas. From Peru to New Zealand, Danielle heard the characters play out their lives in her head. And on a Thai beach, her first novel was born.

When she came back to the States after trotting the globe, Danielle sat down to list her "real life" goals--on top of the list was getting her books on the shelves. Now, four years after her first characters whispered their secrets in her head, Danielle's debut suspense novel, Savage Art, will be released in August 2000 from Penguin Putnam. The book was inspired by a story about a cop who, without the use of his hands, helped track down a killer.

These days, in her free time, Danielle enjoys hiking, skiing, and biking with her husband, spending time with her family--and reading, of course. Her own favorite authors include Patricia Cornwell, Michael Connelly, Tami Hoag and Phillip Margolin.