Michelle Moran was born in Southern California. After attending Pomona College, she earned a Masters Degree from the Claremont Graduate University. During her six years as a public high school teacher, Moran used her summers to travel around the world, and it was her experiences as a volunteer on archaeological digs that inspired her to write historical fiction. She is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Nefertiti, The Heretic Queen, Cleopatra's Daughter, Madame Tussaud, and The Second Empress, which have been translated into more than twenty languages. Visit her online at MichelleMoran.com.