The University Press of Florida recently published her non-fiction book, Adoption and Surrogacy in Florida: The Legal and Practical Sourcebook for Laypersons and Lawyers (Tartaglia, M., Univ. Press of Fla., 2011). She has also published numerous articles in the St. Petersburg Times, and an essay in Reaching the Bar (an anthology by and for women lawyers). As one who has overcome child abuse and domestic abuse herself, her passion is to encourage others to believe in themselves and get beyond abuse. She has three adult children, five grandchildren, and lives in west-central Florida with her husband and two dogs.