Clare was born in Chicago IL, the youngest of four smart, loud, opinionated kids. Not being able to get a word in edge-wise, she took to writing down her thoughts. She also took to reading. The first book she ever read all by herself was Cinderella, and she was subsequently disappointed by the lack of a fairy godmother who might be able turn the family collie into a horse.

Not all books have disappointed though. At ten she read The Great Gatsby (yes, precocious, and Mom was an English teacher). She fell so in love with the words of F Scott Fitzgerald, she wanted some small part of the magic he created, and right then she decided to be a writer.

But being a writer seemed a crazy and impractical idea.

So, about twelve years later, she got her degree in International Studies, with a minor in Economics (she’s still not sure how or why), then worked as a newspaper reporter on a small weekly.

Later still, she moved to Los Angeles and got work in television. For years, and years, she’s traveled as a field producer on documentary and true crime shows, interviewing all sorts from CEOs to prison inmates, Malaysian orphans to sports heroes. She’s had tea with a member of the House of Commons at Parliament in London, suited up to examine the Ebola virus at an infectious lab in Brussels, flown a single engine plane, and dipped a toe in the Sea of Galilee – all of it part of the job.But, full disclosure, mostly she has sat at a computer screen, writing. Writing documentaries, speeches, articles, and most amazingly of all – books.

Writing books has opened up a whole new world – meeting authors she has loved for years, and finding new friends among authors, bloggers and readers.

In 2025, she and her cousin, Margaret Smith, started a podcast/YouTube Channel called The History of Murder. They focus on the famous and forgotten stories from decades, even hundreds of years, ago. They interview historians and authors and travel to the museums and sites connected to the crimes. It’s a fun project that fits perfectly with her love of writing books and travel.

Storm at Sea in her 10th book. And it’s just the beginning.