She came out as a lesbian in the 1970s. Her play ''Home Again, Home Again, Jiggerty Jig'' was produced by TOSOS, a gay and lesbian theatre company, in 1975. Her book ''Happy Endings Are All Alike'' (1978) was one of the earliest young-adult books to depict a lesbian relationship; it was chosen by the American Library Association for its "Best Books for Young Adults" list. Three of her novels have been finalists for the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Mystery.
