Bio

Author. Humorist. Fitness fanatic. Control freak (working on it). Mentor. Klutz. All-around decent human being.  

A book-loving couch potato in her youth, Dena discovered running in her mid 30's and has since completed more than 18 marathons (including two Boston's), as well as 10+ ultras. Raised outside Dayton, OH, Dena graduated from Miami "We were a University before Florida was a state" University and migrated south. After earning her master’s degree and running through a string of jobs--bodily injury insurance adjuster, corporate librarian, public speaking instructor, program coordinator for a return-to-work program for displaced homemakers--Dena started writing for pet magazines and eventually became a humor columnist for Cats & Kittens magazine. Her first book, Lessons In Stalking, was published in 2005 followed by For the Love of Cats, in 2006. 

Foreign rights for Dena's third book, Who Moved My Mouse? A Self-Help Book for Cats (Ten Speed Press/Random House, 2010) have sold to the UK, Brazil, Germany, The Netherlands, Taiwan, Russia and mainland China. Her next book from Ten Speed Press, Does This Collar Make My Butt Look Big? A Diet Book For Cats was released in 2013.

2015 saw the release of Dena's first (wait for it) NON-CAT book. The Paleo Vegetarian Diet: A Guide for Weight Loss & Healthy Living came about when others asked Dena to share her journey combining a vegetarian and Paleo diet. 

Dena's byline appears on hundreds of articles for regional, national, and international trade and consumer magazines, newspapers, and e-zines. A popular speaker, she teaches writing workshops throughout the year. Dena spends her days writing and managing content, PR, and social media for Ashworth College.