Many brilliant professionals have inspiring ideas for books they want to write but possess neither the time, skills, nor experience to actually put together a book proposal and sell and then write their works. That's where I step in. Together we develop a proposal that, when sold, provides the blueprint for the book we later write together.

I have been writing nonfiction books alone and with others since 1982 and have more than 30 books to my credit. I am a book collaborator, co-author, book doctor, ghostwriter, editor, and/or writing coach. My specialties: psychology, health and medical breakthroughs, diet, women's advancement, business, spirituality, and parenting. Most are self-help books written with an eye toward improving society.

My love of writing has spawned a career rich in experience and learning including, most recently, Within Our Reach:  Ending the Mental Health Crisis, my third book collaboration with former First Lady Rosalynn Carter; the award-winning Alzheimer's Project: Momentum in Science, based on the acclaimed 2009 HBO documentary series; and Ten Years Younger, a diet, exercise, and lifestyle book. I help new and seasoned authors develop book proposals and sell their books. Publishers and agents call me to salvage books that are in trouble. I am a coach and cheerleader for others' careers. I teach at UCLA's Writers' Program. I have become what some partners call a literary midwife - helping authors give birth to their books.

Hanging over my desk for nearly 30 years are Pablo Neruda's words taken from an autobiography:

"You can say anything you want, yes sir, but it's the words that sing, they soar and descend...I bow to them...I love them, I cling to them...I bite them, I melt them...I love words so much...Everything exists in words."

I live by this credo.