Ryan, Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth Ryan is the author of "My Sister Is Driving Me Crazy, Me, My Sister, and I; " and "The Trouble with Perfect." Born in Manchester, New Hampshire, she now lives in Seattle. She writes:

"When I was a child, our family used to drive from Arizona to New England every summer. My father hated to stop, even at a motel, and so I used some of that travel experience when I was picturing Toby's adventures in "Alias" -- if it's Tuesday, this must be the Mississippi!

"Since the publication of "Alias," I've had some interesting experiences. Most recently, I was a contestant on "Jeopard...