DEBORAH BEATRIZ BLUM'S interest in other cultures and far-away lands began when she traveled the world as a writer on the television series In Search Of.... Her first book, Bad Karma: A True Story of Obsession and Murder, took her on an extended journey through India. Since then she has sold story ideas for feature films, producing several, including Clean and Sober, and has worked as a writer-director of documentaries for the National Geographic Channel, the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel. She makes her home in Los Angeles with her husband and three sons.