Denise Frisino spent her summers playing and working in the numerous islands that define the Pacific Northwest, where her family spans four generations. Denise is a Seattle native who at age five began her lifelong devotion to performing and the arts. Both on stage and in film, she has been involved as an actress, writer, director, and producer. After graduating from the University of Washington she continued to study acting at ACT in San Francisco. While working in the film industry in Los Angeles, Denise appeared in various venues including the Comedy Store. She taught English, drama, video, writing in the public schools, and recently Creating Memorable Characters, a course she created for writers at UW Experimental College in Seattle. She has been a member of Screen Actors Guild, Women in Film, International Television Association, and served on the Board for American Federation of Television and Radio.
Now, she has turned to novel writing. Denise’s first historical fiction, Whiskey Cove, was nominated for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, was a staff pick at Third Place Books, and is in its second printing. Whiskey Cove also opened the door to numerous public speaking engagements.
For Orchids of War, the first of a two-part series, Denise draws from her time spent living in San Francisco and Hawaii, plus years of interviews with men and women who served during World War II.
Denise has stood atop five mountain peaks over 14,000 feet, lived aboard one of the old Mosquito Fleet boats on Lake Union, and drank Scotch with Katharine Hepburn. Denise enjoys being on the water and loves her row boat. She and her husband spend time at Hood Canal and reside in Seattle.