Author's Bio
LifeLines Authors: Moms by any other name….

Ann McCoole Rigby has a bachelors degree in Special Education from the University of Missouri at Columbia, which she applied as a teacher in special education classrooms for emotionally handicapped children. Ann also enjoyed a career as an astrologer with a specialty in the healing arts. She wrote a monthly astrological column for seven years, and has been published in Welcome to the Planet Earth, The Mountain Astrologer, and Chicken Soup for the Kids Soul. Ann is still married to her high school prom date, and has raised two daughters.

Missy Martin holds a masters degree in Public Administration from Arizona State University in addition to a bachelors degree in Studio Art. Her latest creation is OmniArts, LLC, an anthology factory dedicated to creating collections of true snack-sized stories on contemporary subjects. Her first anthology, Bombshells: War Stories and Poems by Women on the Homefront, was released in February of 2007. Missys work has aired on NPR affiliate KJZZ, appeared in Phoenix New Times, and is included in the play, Pearls: Motherhood Unstrung. She is married and raising three children in Ahwatukee.

Susan Tully has a masters degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and currently teaches in the graduate program in Occupational Therapy at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona. In addition to her private OT practice, she maintains a professional organizing business. Her humorous work has appeared in Phoenix New Times, and Raising Arizona Kids, aired on KJZZ, and has been read at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. Her performance piece, How to be A Good Wife, debuted memorably at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and is included in, and credited with spawning the idea for the play, Pearls: Motherhood Unstrung. She is married and raising three sons in Scottsdale.

Linda Levitt has both her B.A. and M.A. in Special Education from Arizona State University with an interest and emphasis in Behavior Management. A veteran of thirty years of classroom teaching, specializing in gifted education, she is the author of What To Do When Your Kid Is Smarter Than You. Through her newest venture, Educating Exceptional Learners, Linda consults with families and school districts. She supervises teachers for Arizona State University, sits on the board of directors for Scottsdale Supporters of the Gifted, and manages the nonprofit organization, Environmental Connections. Linda is a writing member of Sisters on the Fly, Baby Boomer Women, and the National Association of Women Writers. She is married, raising two sons and two step-daughters, and maintains a home in Paradise Valley.

Diane Amento Owens holds a B.A. in English from the University of Iowa. She taught English at the middle school level and spent a decade in mental health administration before becoming Program Director for FearlessFlight.com as well as editor for Chicken Soup for the Soul Presents The Fearless Flight Kit™. Her work has appeared in the Arizona Republic, Scottsdale Tribune, and Arizona Together. She has read her stories at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. As a vehicle to empower women through writing, she facilitates workshops for AppleStar Publishing, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, and Borders Bookstores. She freelances as editor, writer, and tutor. She serves on the Adult Education Board for her church, facilitates trainings for leaders of childrens liturgy, and is active in the MOMS ministry. Diane is married, raising four daughters in Scottsdale.

Amy Landa holds Certified Public Accountant certificate # 13101 issued by the State of Washington. During her thirty-year career keeping books, she specialized in accounting system design and implementation, mainly for entrepreneurial enterprises. Her own entrepreneurial endeavors include AppleStar Publishing, a vehicle for delivering authentic womens voices to the marketplace. Her dedication to the empowerment of women began fifteen years ago when she was president of the Womens Business Exchange in Seattle, Washington, the then largest womens networking organization on the west coast. LifeLines is her first publication. She is raising two children in Phoenix.