Gwendolyn Rector MacLeod spent 23 years teaching English, Journalism, History, Drama, and Film Studies. Before that, she was a journalist. Born in Los Angeles, she has lived in California, Colorado, Mexico, Washington, and Oregon. She has a BA in Communications (with minors in Journalism and English) from Western State College of Colorado (where she was editor-in-chief of the Top O' The World college newspaper) and a MA in Liberal Studies from Reed College. She has also coached soccer and directed theater productions. She has a daughter and step-daughter and lives with her husband in Portland, Oregon, where she spends her time writing, hiking, canoeing, traveling, going to soccer games, reading, working occasionally as an extra in film or tv, and hanging out with friends.