Jeanne Kalogridis lives with her partner on the West Coast, where they share a house with two dogs. She is the author of "The Borgia Bride, The Scarlet Contessa, The Devil s Queen", and other dark fantasy and historical novels. Born in Florida, Kalogridis has a B.A. in Russian and a master s in linguistics, and taught English as a second language at The American University for eight years before retiring to write full-time.