Leone Ciporin was eight years old when she wrote her first novel. Chatterbox, The Talking Monkey, still sits in her desk drawer, but she hasn't stopped writing since. Throughout college (Yale) and law school (Georgetown), she dreamed up ideas for murder and mayhem, though it wasn't until 2005 that her first story was published. When she's not working as an insurance company manager or writing mysteries, Leone walks dogs at her local SPCA. The dogs make excellent personal trainers, urging her on with mournful looks and providing hours of high-intensity interval training. At home, Leone caters to the demands of her two cats, Felix and Oscar. She lives in Charlottesville, Va.