The author was raised in a suburb south of Chicago, Illinois, and she currently resides in Northwest Indiana. She cites Nancy Drew, Stephen King,[1] and James Patterson[2] as her primary influences.
As S.D. Tooley, she writes the Sam Casey Mystery series which is set in a suburb south of Chicago. The series features Samantha Casey, a Detective Sergeant with the ability to speak with the dead. She has also published The Skull, the first installment in the Remy and Roadkill Mystery series for ages 12 to 112, under this name.
As Lee Driver, she writes the Chase Dagger Mystery series which is set in a fictional suburb of Northwest Indiana. The series features a private detective "who seems to inherit the most unusual cases." Dagger's assistant, Sara Morningsky, is a young Native American woman who has the ability to transform into a hawk or wolf. His pet, a scarlet macaw named Einstein, has a photographic memory.
Besides print editions, all of her titles are available in audio book from Books in Motion and as eBook downloads in all formats from Smashwords.com. Four of her titles are also in large print from Ulverscroft.
The Skull, her mystery for middle school audiences, was awarded the Ida Chittum Award for best mystery.
Nothing Else Matters won ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award in 2000.
Restless Spirit won ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award in 2002.
