Diane de Avalle-Arce was born in NJ in 1944, and received her BA and Ph.D from Smith College. An ex-professor of Spanish, she has been a full-time writer since 1984. She works as a freelance translator, a reviewer for SMALL PRESS MAGAZINE, and an associate editor of SANTA BARBARA REVIEW. She lives with many cats in a small town and slips into the back country on horseback whenever possible.