Hi, I’m Allison.

After nearly two decades as a small business owner running my Pilates studio, I know firsthand the dreams, pressures, and occasional desperation that drive entrepreneurs. Since closing my studio, my work writing pitch decks and promotional materials has taught me that every successful venture—whether it's a startup or a story—depends on understanding your audience and crafting a compelling narrative. That experience, combined with my Master’s in Writing from USC and a love of culinary mysteries, inspired me to create amateur sleuth Brit Sterling—a failed tech entrepreneur turned baker who discovers that solving murders requires the same skills as building businesses: asking the right questions, following the data, and never giving up.

When I'm not writing pitch decks and plotting murders over coffee, you'll find me in my kitchen bribing my 14-year-old son to help me bake (screen time negotiations included), asking why can't anyone beat Bobby Flay—being a flavor magician is apparently the ultimate strategy—and being blown away by the innovations in nail art. My food philosophy mirrors my mystery writing: I believe the best combinations come from combining the unexpected—In-N-Out by candlelight, dark secrets in sunny settings, familiar ingredients with surprising twists.

I live in Southern California with my son and our cat, Mouse (by far my harshest critic).