I was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area. After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in International Studies, I joined the Marine Corps and served for 22 years as an Intelligence Officer. I spent time in northern Norway, the Middle East, and as a Systems Engineering instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy, and finished my career in the United Kingdom where I lived for eight years. Following my military service, I completed a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Southampton, and now live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with my husband and son.