A former actress, probation officer and teacher before turning to the writing life, Barbara is also the author of "Syndrome," a medical thriller published by Avon Books in 1986. As Barbara Nickolae, writing together with Nickolae Gerstner, she has written, "Finders, Keepers," published in hardback by McGraw Hill in 1989 and in paperback by Berkley in 1991, as well as, "Ties That Bind" and "Kiss Mommy Goodnight," published by Berkley in 1993 and 1994, respectively. Currently residing in Orange County, California, she is an active freelance writer, speech writer and writing teacher.