Susan grew up in Dundalk, Maryland, a suburb of Balmore, (That's Baltimore, for the uninitiated.) where everybody calls everybody "hon," fishing and crabbing is a way of life, and eating steamed crabs is practically a sacrament. Although she loves her home in Georgia, a part of her heart is still hanging out on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The rest of it enjoys life near Atlanta with her husband and their two spoiled cats Dot and Dash. Strange names, perhaps, but not for a couple of amateur radio operators. Susan and her husband, that is. Not the cats.

After "Hot Flashes and Cold Lemonade" was released, she and Julie Kemp Pick compiled a quirky collection of poems written by an array of talented writers. Entitled "Old Broads Waxing Poetic," all proceeds from this book are going to CARE International. She's also a contributor to another fine collection of essays, "Still Me After All These Years," written by 24 authors... about the fun and not-so-fun aspects of aging. Proceeds from that book are going to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson Foundation.

And now? Finally... another novel. Coming soon: "Explosive Beginnings," the first book of the "Blast Rites" trilogy. Set In Maryland in the late 1950s, this slice-of-life book is darker than "Hot Flashes," but it still contains bits of humor and characters readers will long remember. Word has it that proceeds from this book and the ones to follow will support a fine dinner at McDonald's. She might even buy her husband a milkshake!

Connie Biltz is a writer and poet. Her poems were published in the anthologies, Musings 2013 and Old Broads Waxing Poetic, and in her book, Rainbow Chaser. She writes a poetry blog called "More Where That Came From" which can be found at www.conniebiltz.com. Her essays and stories have been published in Seventeen, Sunshine, On Campus, Working Writer, and Cats Magazine, among others. She lives in Ohio with her husband John. They have two sons, Chris and Andy.

Julie Kemp Pick received high praise by her second grade teacher for her story, My Mommy's My Best Friend. The writer almost didn't graduate from high school, because she was always late to her 8 a.m. gym class. The bravest thing she's ever done is take her mom to the beauty shop in the rain. Julie's been married for twenty-seven years, and attributes it all to her hard of hearing husband. They have two grown sons: one who encourages her to write more often, the other who encourages her to stock the fridge more often. Julie continues to write about her best friend Mom, who in her own words, "...has never been, and will never be a burden."

Although my body is 78 years old, my mind is only about 36. I've been married for 58 years & have 3 children & 4 grandchildren. I've traveled extensively & have even had a fabulous ride (to celebrate my 74th birthday) in the same plane that the astronauts train in--under ZERO GRAVITY!! I've fully enjoyed my life so far. My absolute favorite thing to do is laugh--& to share that laughter with everyone possible!! If I use a lot of exclamation points it's because I think in exclamation points!