Shelley Thrasher, world traveler and native East Texan, has edited for BSB since 2004. A PhD in English, she taught in college for many years before she retired early and still teaches a fine-arts course online. She has published poetry, short stories, and essays, as well as one scholarly book. Shelley and her partner Connie, with their two dogs, cat, and parrot, live near Dallas, Texas. Her first novel, The Storm (2012), was a GCLS historical-romance finalist and a Rainbow Awards runner-up for best debut novel. Her second novel, First Tango in Paris (2014), is based on her travels abroad.