After emigrating from Japan at the age of 8, Mariko Tatsumoto was detoured from her love of books by becoming the first Asian woman attorney in Colorado before unchaining herself from law to write Middle Grade and Young Adult novels. Her historical fiction, AYUMI’S VIOLIN, and contemporary YA, SWEPT AWAY (originally titled GUTLESS), have garnered a total of six awards. When not writing in her home in the Rocky Mountains, she hikes, skis, and spends time with her dogs.