Maria Elizabeth Romana embarked on her writing career back in the early 1970's when, in the third grade, a thoughtful teacher sent home a note on the back of Maria's report card suggesting that she should pursue a career in fiction, because her imaginative stories and skill in expressing them made it the only logical choice. It is difficult to say whether the teacher was speaking sincerely or was merely impressed with Maria's ability to colorfully explain unusual discoveries, such as the harboring of a "perfect" snowball in her lunch box. Nevertheless, Maria took the teacher's words to heart and kept the dream alive, even while pursuing a B.S. in mathematics and an MBA, which led to twenty years working as a statistical analyst in academic, medical, and marketing research--not exactly what her teacher had in mind perhaps, but often every bit as imaginative.

Finally, at the age of 40, Maria returned to her aspirations of being a fiction author and produced her first novel, "Little Miss Straight Lace". The book is a complex tale of mystery and romance set in the Research Triangle Park region of North Carolina, where much of Maria's time as a research statistician was spent. The story is loosely based on some of her experiences working in pharmaceutical research there. She is currently working on her second book, also set in North Carolina, and also featuring a female scientist.

Maria currently resides just outside the RTP area with her husband and two children. She enjoys hearing from readers and is always happy to take questions or comments through her website, http://suspense-books.com.