Of Indian ancestry, Zan McDowell was educated at the UWI and the University of Cambridge. She worked as a university academic for several years. Her professional field is Law. Semi-retired, she spends her free time writing novels (and painting--many of her book covers display her artwork). Her books are mainly set in the Caribbean where she resides with her family. A prolific author, she has written some fifty fiction books (novels/novellas/novelettes/plays/anthologies of short stories and poetry) and has a number of non-fiction publications (academic textbooks/journal articles) to her credit. She admits that the most fun she's ever had writing, was when she wrote "Hair" for the Kernel's/Harper Collins' NaNoWriWee 30 Hour Novel Contest in January 2013. "Hair" was one of the 13 novellas shortlisted by Harper Collins. Zan considers the creative process a wonderful balm--something mystical and magical, which has consumed her since childhood. A writer of Caribbean and World Literature, her works of fiction fall mainly within the literary fiction genre, some embracing magical realism and some, realist fiction. A few fall into the crime fiction and science fiction genres, respectively. Many of her themes are existentialist in nature and revolve around the human condition. Zan welcomes communications from traditional publishing houses and literary agents (zan9mcd@hotmail.com -- please list publisher's/agency's name together with brief intent of message in email subject box).