After teaching at the Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, for a number of years I decided to leave academics and devote myself to full-time writing. My first book, titled The Witch Must Die, examines the hidden meaning of fairy tales.  Published by Basic Books (Perseus), it draws on stories ranging from Snow White to The Wizard of Oz to demonstrate how these seemingly innocent tales mirror inner dramas dealing with issues of good and evil.

My latest work, titled Emma von N. is a psychological mystery set in fin de siecle Vienna that describes an illicit love affair between Sigmund Freud and one of his patients. Featuring Gustav Klimt, Carl Jung and Louise "Lou" Salome, the first woman psychoanalyst, the story centers on a mysterious dream that holds the key to the enigmatic symptoms that originally prompts the heroine to seek Freud's help.