After a 12-year internment in Catholic school, Robin Shamburg studied journalism at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. In 1995, she picked up the professional whip -- on a dare -- and stayed for almost two years. These essays originally appeared as the "NYPress column "Mistress Ruby's Whipping Post. A novelist, journalist and screenwriter, she has written for "GQ, "Mademoiselle, and "Penthouse Online. She lives in Hoboken, New Jersey with her chihuahua, Carlos, and is working on her next book.