Alexandra Ballard has worked as a magazine editor, middle-school English teacher, freelance writer, and cake maker. She holds masters degrees from both Columbia (journalism) and Fordham (education) and spent ten years in the classroom, beginning in the Bronx and ending up in the hills of California. Today she writes full time and lives in the Bay Area with her husband, two daughters, multiple fish, and two dogs. Visit her at www.alexandraballard.com.