Maria Mercurio was born, raised, and currently resides in southern California. She is a mother of precocious, often rambunctious, and definitely quarrelsome boys. A huge part of her working week is spent in the air, literally not figuratively. Writing is what grounds her - this part is figurative. She obtained her Bachelor degree from the University of Southern California, and while increasing intellectual capacity with more higher education would be a wonderful aspiration, she wonders where one would find the time.