British born Mary-Rose Hayes is the author of eight previous novels, including the TIME/LIFE bestseller "AMETHYST" and two political thrillers co-authored with Senator Barbara Boxer. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages. She has taught creative writing at the University of California, Berkeley; Arizona State University; numerous writing seminars in the Western United States, and at an annual writers' retreat in Tuscany, Italy. She has worked in jobs ranging from medical researcher to fashion model to international deliverer of sailboats, and has lived on four continents. She currently lives with her husband in Northern California.