An American author, playwright, and journalist, she is known for her 2001 novel, Going Away Party, which won the Three Oaks Prize for Fiction. Several of her one-act plays, including Living Arrangements and A Dozen Perfect Moments, were staged in New York City.
Before beginning her literary career, she worked an entry-level job at the American Stock Exchange.
She was the host of her own television show on The Oxygen Channel.
She was born in Buffalo, New York to a family of Irish, Scottish, and Danish descent.
She appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.