She is also a Wake Forest University alum, receiving her BA in 2001 before receiving her PhD from Harvard University. She specializes in 19th century British literature and culture, the history of the novel, and gender studies. In 2014, she published a book called Fatherhood, Authority, and British Reading Culture, and is currently working on a book-length project called Habits of Sympathy in Victorian Britain. Originally from Charlotte, NC, she now lives in Winston-Salem with her husband Jaime, daughter Jaclyn, and two rescue dogs.