AMBER KIZER is not one of those authors who wrote complete books at the age of three and always knew she wanted to be a writer. She merely enjoyed reading until a health challenge, beginning in college, forced her to start living outside the box. After one writing workshop, she fell in love with telling stories; a million pages of prose later she still loves it. When she's not reading from a huge stack, she's coaxing rosebushes to blossom, watching delightful teen angst on television, or quilting with more joy than skill. She takes her tea black, her custard frozen, and her men witty. She lives in the Seattle area on a veritable Noah's Ark, with a pair of dogs, a pair of cats, 15 pairs of chickens, and uncounted pairs of shoes—without the big boat and only some of the rain.