I grew up in South Carolina, the daughter of a college professor and a social worker. At age nine, I saw the movie Moby Dick on TV (the one with Gregory Peck) and decided I wanted to read the book. Then I realized I didn't understand a word, so I asked my mother to read it to me and explain it along the way. And she did. Remember that the next time your child asks for something. Be grateful it's not Moby Dick. And if it is, bless you.I graduated from the University of Tennessee and went to work for a long string of software companies. I'm a big geek at heart. I still have a day job I love working for a large software company.I live in the Santa Cruz mountains in a house surrounded by redwoods with my husband, John, our two big dogs, Reba and Tyson, and a very disapproving cat, Scout.