In her previous life she worked in book publishing, both on staff and as a consultant for educational publishers such as Oxford University Press, CQ Press, and Alexander Street Press. She also has written on and off for trade journals, including Publishers Weekly, and writes humor essays that have yet to be published. She lived in Manhattan for many years and loves the city beyond measure. However, her current home in Reston, Virginia is nice, too, because it was here that she started teaching – not to mention her never-dull life with husband, son, daughter, father, and two goofy cats!