Judy Pearson is the director of Northern Virginia Graduate Center in Falls Church, Virginia, and she is an associate dean of the Graduate School and a professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She has co-authored the two books mentioned previously, has authored or co-authored six other textbooks, and has authored two trade books.The authors have been writing basic course texts for twenty years, because the beginning courses are their first love. Both began their careers as basic course directors in large programs at the University of Missouri, Iowa State, and Bradley. They even met at a basic course conference, married, and have been producing children and books ever… since.