A. G. Starling is a college professor who has lived in multiple cities and had a variety of jobs, from aerobics instructor to art gallery receptionist. She got her PhD in philosophy at Columbia University. She chose philosophy because her professors never expected real answers from her, and she discovered that by asking the kinds of questions philosophers do she could sound erudite even when clueless. She is an intrepid traveler and lives in Monterey with Mr. Darcy, who, in this life, has four legs and a tail. She likes her martinis and her wit extra-dry. As for her heroes and heroines? She likes them to channel Mae West—when they’re good, they’re bad; and when they’re bad, they’re even better.