J.S. Cook (JoAnne Soper-Cook) published her first story when she was 8 and hasn't looked back since. Don't let her cynical exterior fool you: this author (whose nickname at university was 'Sarcasmo') is a hopeless romantic and a big mush. She is a dog mom and supporter of animal rights, whose children have four paws and fur. She writes crime/mystery/noir. She does her own forensic experiments. J.S. Cook was born in a tiny fishing village on the seacoast of Newfoundland. Her love of writing manifested itself early when her mother, impressed with the quality of a school assignment she'd written, sent it to the editor of the local paper - who published it. Since then she has written novels, short stories, novellas, plays, radio scripts and some really, really bad poetry. She has worked as a housekeeper, nanny, secretary, publisher, parliamentary editor and a university lecturer, although this last convinced her never to step foot inside a classroom again. She holds a B.A. (Honors) and an M.A. in English Language and Literature, and a B.Ed in Post-secondary education. She loves walking and once spent six hours walking the streets of Dublin, Ireland. She maintains she wasn't lost, just "looking around". She makes her home in St. John's, Newfoundland, with her husband of 26 years and her spoiled rotten 'dogter', Lola, who always gets her own way.