Jane Congdon grew up in the mountains of West Virginia. After graduating from Concord College (now Concord University), she made a career of words, working as an English teacher and a newspaper reporter before finding her niche as a textbook editor in Cincinnati, Ohio. She retired in 2009. At age 59, Jane followed Dracula's footsteps through Transylvania, resulting in the memoir It Started with Dracula: The Count, My Mother, and Me (©2011). She then co-authored her brother's memoir, Mr. Joe: Tales from a Haunted Life (©2013). Both books were published by Bettie Youngs Book Publishers and are available from Amazon and other outlets. At age 69, Jane returned to the mountains as a backpacker. To date she has hiked 1,195 miles of the Appalachian Trail in 8 of its 14 states: Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Maine. Jane has spoken at conferences, libraries, book clubs, universities, outdoor clubs, and an art gallery. She is a member of West Virginia Writers and nonfiction judge for the organization’s 2019 writing competition. She is a member of West Virginia Writers.