After a successful career as a software engineer, Brooke went to law school to become a patent attorney. There she rediscovered her love of research and writing. While studying for the USPTO bar exam, her career took a sharp detour. She became immersed in defending death penalty cases.

 

The next years took Brooke inside the workings of Florida’s criminal justice system. The cases were sometimes frightening and always heart-breaking. The attorneys and mitigation specialists who did the thankless job of defending accused killers were among the most dedicated professionals she’d ever met. They believed justice wasn’t only for the wealthy and privileged and worked to ensure that no corners were cut.

 

Writing legal briefs and motions isn’t the same as writing fiction (no matter what opposing counsel says). To learn the craft, Brooke applied and was accepted into Denver’s Lighthouse Writer’s Book Project. There she drafted her first novel. She is active in Colorado Sisters-in-Crime and on the board for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

 

Today Brooke lives outside Boulder with her husband and therapy dogs. When she's not enjoying the mountains or writing, her therapy dogs provide comfort and emotional support to patients, police, and trauma survivors.

 

 Of course, Brooke's always on the hunt for the next challenge and adventure.