Judith Merkle Riley teaches in the Department of Government at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, and holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.   

" I grew up in the then-isolated town of Livermore, California. It was the sort of spot that made one cultivate a host of eccentric hobbies and a taste for historical reading --  in fact, any kind of reading that happened to be on the shelves of the local Carnegie library. The truth is, ever since then, I have assumed that heaven is really a Vast Library, with comfortable chairs, cozy fireplaces, big bay windows and courtyard gardens. A colleague of mine adds 'and good Scotch'-- but I could even do without the Scotch..."    

" Given this attitude, the step from reading to writing did not seem like a large one, especially since the excellence of creating historical fiction is this: it is absolutely REQUIRED that one must spend a LOT of time in the library."

" I hope you enjoy the adventures of my characters, both real and imagined."