Tess Collins is a coal miner's granddaughter with Cherokee ancestry on her mother's side and a legend of being descended from a mountain clan known as the Seven Big Sisters on her father's. Raised in the southeastern Kentucky town of Middlesboro, she spent her early years listening to mountain tales of haunted hollows, ghosts, moonshiners and unsolved murders. No doubt they influenced her writing. She is the author of THE LAW OF REVENGE, THE LAW OF THE DEAD, and THE LAW OF BETRAYAL, thrillers set in Appalachia. Her non-fiction book HOW THEATER MANAGERS MANAGE is published by by Rowman and Littlefield's Scarecrow Press. Miss Collins received a B.A. from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. from The Union Institute. She lives in San Francisco where she manages the prestigious Curran Theatre, a major Broadway show venue. Her web page can be accessed at www.tesscollins.com/