Jessica Brawner grew up in the wilds of South Texas and plotted ways to spend her life traveling the world. She has been remarkably successful at that endeavor, attending school and traveling all over Europe at the age of eighteen, moving back to the United States to achieve two bachelor's degrees, and then moving to Central Asia for a time with the Peace Corps. Fifteen years ago she discovered the wonders of Science Fiction and Fantasy conventions and the crazy, loveable, friends-are-the-family-you-choose mentality found there. She spent many years working as a booth babe and volunteering at conventions all over the country. In addition to her convention activities, Ms. Brawner has developed and taught self-defense classes, worked as an event planner, an entertainment agent, a computer teacher, a personal assistant, and most recently works at a tech start up.